The Scandinavian welfare society has a sophisticated cultural policy based on both the free market and public support. The film and television culture of Scandinavia is strong with institutions and traditions created to secure creative diversity for both national, Scandinavian and global audiences. In many ways Scandinavian film and television is a global cultural brand, connected with and exporting some of the cultural and social values connected to a liberal and progressive welfare society. Dating back to the silent cinema era and through the birth of a modern film and television culture after 1945, Scandinavia has contributed significantly to our global cultural heritage.

The course offers an understanding of the creative forces behind film and television and of how Scandinavian society and culture has influenced the production. Lecturers draw on sociological, cultural and aesthetic theory and cover subjects, such as national and global cinema, film and media policy, co-production, content for children and youth, gender balance, film and television genre – and auteur theory. The course will focus on important film directors and the way they have reflected and influenced our understanding of Scandinavia – within and beyond borders. From Carl Th. Dreyer’s complex historical and religious dramas and Ingmar Bergman’s symbolic and psychological films – to the modern art cinema of Lars von Trier, Aki Kaurismäki, Ruben Östlund and Bent Hamer.  Moreover, the course will deal with typical examples of popular genres in Scandinavian cinema and television – e.g. how Scandinavian Public Service television has contributed to the local and global circulation of television drama.