Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 10, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The application phase is still under way for the next cohort of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Film, with specialisations in screenwriting, film directing and creative producing. Interested applicants with a university or university-of-applied-sciences entrance qualification can apply to ifs internationale filmschule köln until April 1, 2010. The seven-semester degree programme starts in the 2010/2011 winter semester. An information event for interested parties and potential applicants will take place at ifs on February 26 at 5 p.m. The course content of the individual specialist areas will be presented once again, and outstanding questions about the application can also be clarified.
With the Film degree programme, ifs offers its students an innovative film education that lays the artistic, academic and craft foundations for professional filmmaking while taking account of and teaching new technological developments and their aesthetic and dramaturgical potential. IFS places great value on responding flexibly to current developments, such as new forms of storytelling and exploitation platforms. It receives continuous stimulus for this both through close exchange with every area of the audiovisual media landscape and through the ongoing evaluation of its teaching.
Interdisciplinary exchange also plays a major role within the Film degree programme - between the individual specialisations, in teamwork on joint projects with the Image and Sound Editing programme, the new Cinematography programme and the numerous continuing-education programmes, and through intensive supervision by professors and lecturers from academia and practice. This creates, on the one hand, a good understanding of the other film disciplines and, on the other, fruitful working relationships with one another and with professors and lecturers that continue beyond the period at ifs. This intensive cooperation is also made possible by the low number of students: no more than eight students are admitted to each specialisation every two years.
With its focus on storytelling and creativity development, the first year of study lays the common foundation for all three specialisations. The third to seventh semesters serve occupation-specific specialisation and professionalisation. Supporting courses such as film history, film analysis, applied media studies, industry and profession accompany the practical exercises and film projects.
Students are continuously supported in developing their artistic personality by their professors: directors Hans-Erich Viet, Dominik Wessely and Dominik Graf for directing; producer Gerd Haag for creative producing; Dr Lisa Gotto for film history/film analysis; and Dr Gundolf S. Freyermuth for applied media studies.
