Ruben Östlund Appointed Professor at Valand Academy

News: Sep 16, 2014

Film director Ruben Östlund, whose film TURIST is currently showing at Swedish cinemas, has been appointed professor at Valand Academy, University of Gothenburg. The Academy offers study programmes in film, photography, literary composition and fine art. As a professor, Östlund’s focus will lie within filmmaking, an area at the Academy that has recently been expanded with several new teachers.

Klara Björk, Head of film unit at Valand Academy, comments on the appointment of Ruben Östlund as adjunct professor.
We’re very happy to have Ruben Östlund on board. We see an enormous potential in his approach concerning the filmmaker’s responsibility as well as in his engagement in the position of film and im-ages in the development of society.

As a new professor in filmmaking, Östlund is aiming to further develop his field. He feels that the University together with the right partners could assume the right of interpretation and modernise the attitude to how we relate to film and images as a field.
- In an era where we more than ever before expose ourselves to images and film, no agency or organi-sation has been tasked to look closer at this from a community-building perspective.

In the new academic context, Östlund wants to be part of changing the attitudes regarding the position of images and film in society.

- I want to focus on how the potential of images and film can be utilised and on how we can prepare coming generations for the handling of them, he says.

Klara Björk agrees on the importance of bringing attention to the relevance of images and film and believes that education within images is as important as reading and writing. 



- Many occupational groups use cameras, images and film in their daily work. Not least teachers, as children and young people in particular are exposed to and use this medium in everyday life, she explains.

Valand’s Film Programme Expands 

The teachers in filmmaking at Valand Academy work closely together and are in daily contact with the students. They all have unique expertise and are active film practitioners. In addition to the new professorship, four new lecturers have been appointed: Klara Björk, Axel Danielson, Lena Lind Brynstedt and Cecilia Torquato.

Studies in filmmaking are based on the notion that the camera and images are tools for studying humans and the world they live in. That images and film have a central role in society is not least reflected in the development of the Academy since the start in 1997 when six film directors graduated per year. This year almost 50 students are enrolled in the Valand’s film programmes, which span from undergraduate to doctoral level. 



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Originally published on: akademinvaland.gu.se