Helle Hansen doc film commissioner

DFI. Helle Hansen brings years of experience as a TV journalist to her new job as film commissioner for shorts and documentaries at the Danish Film Institute.

The Danish Film Institute has appointed Helle Hansen as new film commissioner for shorts and documentaries. Helle Hansen takes on her new position on 1 September.

Helle Hansen has many years' experience in journalism, working since 1988 on documentary programmes for the national broadcasters DR TV and TV 2 and for several other networks. Helle Hansen is director of "BZ" (2006) chronicling the Danish squatting movement, and she is currently finishing her documentary "Ordet fanger" about how public discourse on issues concerning immigrants and refugees has changed over the years.

Commissioner system

The DFI film commissioner system aims at supporting the best projects on the merit of their content and artistic quality. Each of the six DFI film commissioners performs a subjective asssessment that is grounded in a professionally competent analysis, and each is backed by a DFI producer who provides an assessment of the project's financial and technical aspects.

24 feature films received a production subsidy from the Danish Film Institute in 2010, 14 of which received support under the film commissioner system.

"A film commissioner has to be a good listener," Helle Hansen comments on her new appointment, "somebody who can guide and inspire rather than have a specific opinion on things, and be able to communicate clearly with the filmmaker whatever his or her background."

Helle Hansen replaces former film commissioner for shorts and documentaries Jesper Jack.