“EsoDoc is a documentary training programme that takes place in some of the most beautiful places across Europe. A chance to come together with your peers to deeply explore your project, it's narrative potential and social impact strategy. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching on the course and it's been a pleasure watching the recent graduates move forward with their careers.”
“Making creative work that changes hearts and minds is not easy. At ESoDoc you get to test your ideas on industry insiders and your peers, allowing you to take risks and broaden your horizons while being supported by a community who will challenge you to do your best work. It’s run by passionate people who believe in the transformative power of media. The connections you make there, and the lessons learnt, will last your entire career.”
"More than a school, ZeLIG seems a factory, in the sense Andy Warhol gave the word. With youngsters coming from very different parts of Europe and the planet, digital film-work (be it shooting, directing or editing) is constantly challenged as a tool to define and express the world they are living in. Nothing here is just theory: the place smells of practical work and daring storytelling missions.”
“ZeLIG is an open space where people create, analyze and reflect deeply on all the aspects of documentary filmmaking. ZeLIG’s camera courses, for instance, don’t provide merely a technical foundation, but also focus storytelling through imagery. We seriously explore the role of the camera, how to work with the camera, and photography in terms of their relationship to storytelling. All this happens while we’re filming reality live, as it unfolds. I like teaching camera at ZeLIG because it provides students with lots of opportunities to experiment – experimentation is mandatory. They’ve got to discover their aptitudes and hone their skills. We help them do that not through the classic student-teacher relationship – I’d say it’s more like seasoned professionals counseling young filmmakers."
"Attending ZeLIG means living in an extended family, where students and teachers alike share their different experiences and backgrounds. It’s a small community that brings together different languages, cultures, ways of thinking. For me, teaching at ZeLIG year after year has been a chance to be able to contribute to the formation of people who have decided to dedicate themselves to an area of study that’s so beautiful and complex. It’s a way to help them find the means of expression that’s right for them. And it’s give and take, because I really get so much out of my teaching experience. I am grateful to ZeLIG and to my students for such a pleasant and fruitful exchange.”
“The high point of ZeLIG’s activities is its focus on radically subjective documentaries. ZeLIG gives students the chance to discover their own way of expressing themselves artistically.”
“ESoDoc is one of those rare occasions where I have been feeling part of a trans cultural community, worried about the responsibility of images and projects in the fight for the endorsement of social values and a better world.”
“Life is bigger than fiction! Documentary films help us to understand the 'beyond' of life, not being helplessly forced to only see the surface. Brave filmmakers dare to look there. For those young people we need engaged schools and training programs to educate, motivate and support – to make the world a better place, a tiny bit very day - so does ESoDoc and the ZeLIG School for Documentary - go there!”
“I’ve been a regular guest teacher at ZeLIG since 1996. I’ve worked with so many different groups of students and teachers. ZeLIG has grown and changed, but one thing remains the same: returning to ZeLIG means coming back to old friends! You get the feeling that you’re part of one big family. Everyone involved gives it their all. People here are curious and passionate about what they’re doing. It’s a pleasure to teach here!”
“Where else can you access 3 weeks of world-class lectures as well as one-on-one mentoring with leading professionals in documentary film, NGOs, cross-media? Perhaps most important of all, you join a dedicated and generous peer group of participants who make up the growing ESoDoc family, and that network becomes essential for many productive years to come.”
“A home. The name on the doorbell is ZeLIG. As a guest, I’m welcomed into this filmmaking family. There’s everything we need here: work room, kid’s room, closets full of equipment. Brothers and sisters learn to work and play together – they amaze their parents and themselves! Responsibility and love bubbling up in the same cauldron. There are lots of kids here. Lots of films, too. It’s a first step, an unforgettable one. We must take it in order to learn and move on.”
"ZeLIG is special. The coherence of its training program in documentary filmmaking and the quality of the films the school produces make it unique in Europe. ZeLIG has earned an excellent reputation for its intensive approach, team spirit and a family-style atmosphere. I’ve been teaching at ZeLIG for many years, and it’s always been a great pleasure. The students are open-minded and talented. I’ve also enjoyed working with some of them after they launched their careers in documentary filmmaking. My deepest respect for the good folks behind the success: Heidi, Lotte, Emanuele, and all the people that have worked so hard for more than 25 years to make ZeLIG a classic!"
"ESoDoc is a creative system, deeply rooted in human values and taking in the freshest air of digital media innovation. It is fascinating to see how workshop participants and tutors are equally driven by their curiosity to develop together new ways of storytelling for participatory documentary projects of all different forms and for all platforms … always wishing them to evolve as tools for social change and better understanding between people."
“Soon I celebrate 20 years of teaching at ZeLIG! What can I say about the virtues and reputation of this truly European school for documentary-makers in Bolzano, Alto Adige-Südtirol? It was founded more than a quarter century ago. It’s professional, solid, successful, constructively visionary. ZeLIG is known and respected for its international approach to learning. Graduates receive certification from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano. The excellent teaching staff is made up of professionals from all over the world. When it comes to film schools, ZeLIG is a sure thing. Too bad there was no ZeLIG when I was beginning my own professional studies. I surely would have applied.”
