Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is collaborating with University College London (UCL), the University of Costa Rica and the University of Westminster to launch a new intensive summer school centred around documentary filmmaking.
Participants in the summer school, which will take place this July, will receive training in filmmaking (including research, storyboarding, filming, and editing) before producing an eight-minute documentary.
Dr Lorena Cervera, Senior Lecturer of AUB’s BA (Hons) Film Production course is one of the summer school instructors.
“The initial idea for this course was proposed by Professor Stephen Hart after he spent more than a decade running a similar summer course in collaboration with the EICTV, the film school in Cuba,” Lorena says.
“Professor Hart is also the director of the PhD Documentary Track, a practice-based PhD programme at UCL, which some of the other organisers of the Costa Rica Summer School completed.
“For over two years, we have been thinking about this intense, three-week documentary filmmaking course, and planning its logistics. This year we were able to reach an agreement with the University of Costa Rica. We began advertising the first edition of this course in early February but hope it will run every summer.”
The summer school will be open to applicants of all skill levels, including those without any experience in filmmaking. But what opportunities can it bring for current BA (Hons) Film Production students at AUB?
“There are three opportunities that this course could bring to AUB students. First, gaining experience in filmmaking. We are only accepting a limited number of students, and they will be working in small groups.
“Throughout the exercises that we have set up and the making of the documentary, students will get a chance to practice with scriptwriting, camera, sound, and editing. We have already identified potential communities where they could shoot the documentaries, but students will still have to conduct the research and decide what story they want to capture.
“Second, students will be forging relationships with people from different parts of the world. Thus far, we are receiving applications mainly from the US and the UK, but the intention is to bring together students from different countries who are studying different disciplines. We have conceived this course as a mind-expanding experience while also being an opportunity to gain documentary filmmaking skills.
“Third, Costa Rica is often referred to as the happiest country in the world. Its natural landscapes are outstanding, the food is varied and delicious, and people’s attitude towards life is uplifting. Thus, being immersed in this culture could help students broaden their horizons and expand their understanding of key issues in today’s society.”
For nearly 20 years, Lorena has worked making non-fiction films across Europe, the Americas, and the United Kingdom, in productions such as Dr. Moisès Broggi: Ethical Science (TV3, 2010), I wasn’t always dressed like this (D-AEP, 2014), and Changing of the Guard (Telesur, 2018).
She’s also directed short films such as Pilas (2019), #PrecarityStory (2020), and Processing Images from Caracas (2022), which have been shown at film festivals, cinemas, museums, galleries, and activist events.
In addition, Lorena has published several articles and book chapters on documentary, film collectives, and women’s cinema, and her first book, A Feminist Counter-History of Latin American Documentary, is forthcoming.
The Costa Rica Documentary Summer School 2025 will be held at the Escuela de Ciencias de la Comunicación Colectiva, at the University of Costa Rica in San José from 5–25 July. Application forms and further information can be found on the UCL website.
