"Working for an African NGO, bringing across to as broad an audience as possible the reality we face on the ground, and the central reasons why we do our work, has always been essential. Through ESoDoc I have come to understand that there are broader channels of communications, possible partnerships and very real interest in the themes we deal with than I had envisaged. ESoDoc has shown me that NGOs have very real opportunities to ensure that the stories which are at the core of their work can be widely shared on a great number of mutually supporting platforms."
"Participation in ESoDoc made me realize even stronger that working on transmedia documentary project is not about the idea in my head but more about how do I communicate it to the world and how do I want to create an impact. This conclusion was backed by wonderful ESoDoc community: organizers, tutors and participants which was enriching as professional and deeply human experience."
"I found a great community at ESoDoc of people who share my passion and concern for the world around us. The multiple sessions gave us a chance to develop over time our strategies for how to tell our stories. I have also profited a lot from the ongoing ESoDoc network after our workshop concluded."
"Alla ZeLIG ho avuto l’opportunità di acquisire competenze tecniche e “di pensiero”, di alimentare una mia idea di cinema, di incontrare compagni di classe preziosi, personalità affascinanti e profonde, prima di tutto amici, con alcuni dei quali abbiamo stretto un sodalizio professionale e artistico che dura ormai da lungo tempo."
"Trovo che la ZeLIG sia come una porta, si entra e ci si ritrova in un mondo circondato da tuoi simili, che amano il cinema quanto se stessi e apprendono le competenze che servono per realizzare film di grande qualità. "
"La ZeLIG è una palestra di vita che mette a disposizione gli attrezzi del fare documentario e fornisce le lenti attraverso le quali guardare e analizzare il mondo. Un’officina speciale di reciproco apprendimento. Frequentare la scuola di documentario ha rappresentato far coincidere la formazione con il lavoro che amo. Il privilegio e l’occasione di incontrare i maestri e i professionisti del settore, di intessere relazioni lavorative, in uno spazio e in un tempo progettato per noi allievi, attraverso un percorso quotidiano di formazione tecnica, professionale e umana; con il supporto di un team disponibile e competente. Rifrequenterei cento e mille volte ancora la scuola ZeLIG!"
"I won the opportunity to study for three years at the ZeLIG School for Documentary Film in Northern Italy. The program was an eye-opener and I learned to translate my visions into a strong cinematographic language.
Graduated from ZeLIG Film School (South Tyrol, Italy 2007-2010) with distinctions and the diploma film - ‘Guanape Sur’ a documentary about workers that harvest guano on a barren island off the coast of Peru – was invited to over 50 film festivals including Plus Camerimage and IDFA. It also won prices in San Sebastian, the IDA Award, Silver Docs, i. a., including a few prices for best cinematography.
Since then I have worked in the field of feature-length creative documentary and fiction for cinema release and television world wide."
“ZeLIG filmschool is unique – sure, because it is placed in the mountains of South Tyrol – but first of all because here the students are developing a deep idea of what the quality of documentary is. Is there a secret? It’s the ZeLIG philosophy itself: The young people are coming from different European countries, bringing their different cultures with them. They are challenged by international teachers and taken care by the local team. So they are sharpening their senses in order to communicate through a high quality cinematographic documentary language.”
"Thanks to the digital world much has changed since I started tutoring at ESoDoc, over 10 years ago. Today filmmakers have a direct relation with their audience and can rapidly understand the effect of their work. What hasn’t changed is their need and urge to change the world with their stories, films and media works. This makes ESoDoc unique and every year I learn something new from them."
"Il programma di formazione di tre anni offre condizioni ideali per ottenere un know-how professionale approfondito nella propria specializzazione - senza però perdere di vista la fondamentale importanza del lavoro di squadra. Un film nasce da un team, e alla ZeLIG avviene proprio questo, grazie a educazione trilingue, a docenti internazionali, a studenti provenienti da paesi e culture diversi e a un metodo particolare di formazione interattiva tipica del più alto livello creativo e professionale."
"The focus at ZeLIG is clear: You need to learn the craft to be able to develop your creativity. You need to learn team-work and to test yourself as a coming documentarian. The school is small with a big heart, a generous staff and committed teachers. The students watch loads of films and make several themselves before they enter the jungle. 3 years. A gift!"
“As an international lecturer and co-writer of multiple films, I find ZeLIG’s methodology a great match for real-life filmmaking and business. The full immersion weeks focusing on one topic at a time allow participants to delve deeply into the subjects. The mentorship at the end is the final proof to me that ZeLIG and its staff know what matters when it comes to training for the real world.”
"After teaching at the ZeLIG film school for ten years now, I can honestly say that I adore this place and everyone in it and I look forward eagerly to the next time I will be at ZeLIG to teach. It is quite a miracle that such a dedicated group of people have come together in such a special part of the world with the sole mission of turning out high quality, committed social documentary filmmakers. Over decades of refining their teaching, the school has assembled the best teachers in the field, made a conscious decision to do away with Fiction Film studies to concentrates solely on the craft of documentary filmmaking, and has figured out how to make students the best at what they do. I have thoroughly enjoyed the students who have passed through my class, many of whom I still keep in touch with today. Just when I think it is impossible for the program or the students to get any better, I am delighted to learn that I am wrong. Professionally, I run into ZeLIG students and the films they produce all the time at festivals and markets. It is truly a positive, active learning program in a family environment that has a profoundly positive impact on those who go through it. And I firmly believe the world is a better place because ZeLIG and the students it turns out, are in it."
“ESoDoc is an inspiring experience with wonderful people and wonderful projects. Participants are beautifully encourageing each other, teachers and trainers are dedicated to bring them and their projects really further on. People and projects mature and improve. And both of them reach enormous clarity by hard work and great support.”
