yearbook 2004/05 - The European Film College

Diary 2003-04
By Jens Rykær
SUMMER 2003
The 10-year-jubilee festivity in late August gave
in a way the new term a head start. The mix of a
former student reunion, an outdoor reception,
gala dinner and a board meeting was indeed a
showcase of everything that the EFC really is.
An international school, a lively meeting place,
an important local cultural institution and, on
and off, certainly a loony-bin (see all about this
event, p.32).
The school looked its best the 9th of September
when we welcomed a new batch of students for
the eleventh time. The grass was mowed, the
flag was up, the sun was shining on the hilly
landscape. The school will not be as clean for
a long time. One more time 108 young people
had decided to spend eight months in Ebeltoft
in order to find their path for the future within
or outside the intriguing world of the audiovisual
media. 27 nations represented - among
them Namibia, Japan, Bangladesh and for the
first time a student from Palestine has applied
thanks to a gracious grant from the ”Enkefru
Plum’s Foundation”. First week is a turmoil of
information, getting to know each other and
Martin Zandvliet, Ulrik E. Nielsen, Kasper Torsting - former students on life after EFC
the school’s facilities, the teachers and their
skills, the staff – in short: the ropes of the concept
called the EFC. One brand new element
was introduced. A penalty system in relation to
the duties in the kitchen and cleaning! Forever
it has been a pain in the neck for students and
teachers to keep up the quality (and presence)
of those conducting these not-so-prestigious
activities. Students have always missed a policy
of consequence for those who skipped out so
a fining system had been designed: Absence
from a duty without having organized a substitute
would cost 100 kr. This money would
not go into the school’s slender account but go
directly to another student who volunteered to
take over. Fair and square and when asked all
students agreed to the system. And the curse of
the duties has actually worked so much better
than previously. For some students the phrase
“work one’s way through college” has indeed
been very factual.
Teambuilding was introduced in a more substantial
way during intro-week theoretically and
practically by way of literally building strange
Photo: Jens Rykær