International Documentary Editing Symposium

Name: International Documentary Editing Symposium
Start: 2025-10-24T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-10-26T16:00:00+02:00
Location: Den Danske Filmskole

Schedule

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm to Sun, 26 Oct, 2025 at 04:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Den Danske Filmskole | Copenhagen , SK

International Documentary Editing Symposium at the National Film School
In the world of documentary film, the editing room is where the story truly takes shape. There is rarely a fixed script—instead, reality is shaped anew through the editing process. Meet award-winning editors from Denmark and abroad as they share their methods and experiences in a series of talks and masterclasses, revealing how they craft the documentary narrative.
Over two days in October, we invite you to attend masterclasses and talks with national and international guests who will offer insights into the creative wjork behind the creation of documentary films. The full program will be announced on an ongoing basis.
The program will be held in English.
The program for next weekend's International Symposium on Documentary Film Editing is finally set - so we are writing to you with an update to the program.
About the Symposium
The program focuses specifically on two central disciplines within documentary editing: found footage/archive film and documentary film development.
Documentary Film based on Existing Footage / Found Footage
The work of deconstructing and reconstructing film sources in a contemporary perspective makes archive film a kind of editing's Formula 1, where the film's entire narrative is created in the editing suite. We are bringing together the editors from some of the most skilfully constructed archive films to share their experiences.
Found Footage / Archive Films 1 – Trains – with Rafal Listopad
Found-Footage as Cinematic Poetry

The documentary film Trains is a found-footage work that provides a collective portrait of 20th-century Europe through people's hopes, suffering, and wars. In this masterclass, the editor, Rafal Listopad, will share his method for constructing the film's narrative structure and rhythm - without the use of either voice-over or dialogue. He will also touch upon his collaboration with director Marciej J. Drygas and their unique editing process over the ten-year period it took to make the film. Rafal Listopad has previously worked with Drygas on the films Violated Letters and One Day in People's Poland. He also teaches editing at the Łódź Film School and won the Best Editingaward at IDFA 2024 for his work on Trains.
Screening of the film TRAINS, Oct. 24th at 7 PM at The National Film School of Denmark.
Found Footage / Archive Films 2 - The Perfect Neighbor - with Viridiana Lieberman
New Archives - Police bodycam and surveillance footage.
Official Trailer

When raw, unedited documentation becomes cinematic storytelling? In this masterclass, editor Viridiana will delve into the creative and ethical challenges of working with new archive material – police bodycam footage and surveillance cameras.
Based on the documentary film, The Perfect Neighbor (directed by Geeta Gandbhir), which won the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2025, Viridiana will offer a rare insight into how material shot in extremely charged, real-life situations can be shaped into a narrative that both preserves authenticity and creates deep emotional resonance.
The Perfect Neighbor can be seen on Netflix from Oct. 17th.
https://www.netflix.com/dk/title/82018736
When we edit, we are also human - Homo Editorius – The Editor as Human with Maya Daisy Hawke & Joe Bini
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uiftmySSGg8pW1okeaytJhjTuqql2gOQ/view?usp=sharing
The experienced editors Maya Daisy Hawke and Joe Bini turn the lens on themselves to explore what it means to live behind the screen while shaping the stories of others. Through personal videos, photographs, and excerpts from previous collaborations with directors such as Werner Herzog and Lynne Ramsay, they illuminate the emotional, artistic, and psychological dimension of the editor's existence. In this live dialogue, the editing process remains open, the conflicting perspectives usually hidden from the audience are brought to light, and we are invited to see the editor not just as a craftsperson or artist, but as a whole human being.
Development of Documentary Film
The process of financing and realizing a documentary film can span many years. During this period, projects are often developed in close collaboration between producers, directors, and editors – a collaboration that shapes both the direction of the narrative and the film's final expression.
In a conversation with film editor and film school lecturer Henrik Thiesen, experienced documentary film editor Sofie Steenberger, and documentary director and film editor Estephan Wagner, we will dive into the editor's crucial role in the development phase. How can the editor's eye for material, rhythm, and characters strengthen the project right from the initial idea stage? What happens when the editor becomes an active co-creator – not only in the editing suite but throughout the film's entire lifespan?
The conversation will also explore how we can expand and improve collaboration across roles, so that editing does not merely become a concluding stage, but an integrated, creative force in the development of documentary film.
We hope to see many of you for an exciting and inspiring weekend.