History

The VideoMarathon idea was created in December 2000 in a small apartment in Christianshavn with a phone and two computers. The contest was invented by David Fox. The big work in getting VideoMarahton up and running the first year was done with great help from Martin Bruun Gibskov and Jan Jensen.

The first VideoMarathon took place in Øksnehallen in Copenhagen 17th.-19th. August 2001. Behind the idea and production of VideoMarathon is True Stories TV- & Film Production. Already in the first year it could claim international competition status with participation from Sweden, Norway and Germany.

40 computers were set up and made ready for the 48 hour film race. Over 400 registered for the competition, and 120 selected participants showed up. The theme the many participants had to follow was “Denmark”. From the beginning, VideoMarathon launched itself  as a film event where everyone can participate. The motto is: “Do you have an instructor in the stomach?” Our focus has always been on ordinary people, and it has been our highest goal to ensure that the conduct of the event is shaped in a way so that everyone can participate.

All the films were later on shown on TV2 Zulu and posted on the Internet. The event ended with an Award Ceremony on Saturday the 8th. of September 2001 in the Grand Theatre. The winner was 33-year-old Céline Sørensen, who won a trip to Hollywood for two people including rental car and hotel plus an iMac computer for editing. Céline Sørensen was a student and had virtually no prior experience with video recording.

The prominent jury included TV editor Palle Strøm, film director Katia Forbert Petersen, minister Mogens Lindhardt, anthropologist and filmmaker Berit Madsen, director Anne Wivel Regitze and director/actor Peter Schrøder.

After VideoMarathon’s great success the first year the project moved out to the Film City. The event was held on the 30th. of August – 1st. of September. From having a few participants from abroad the first year,  interest from neighboring countries grew in 2002, along with the number of enrollments.

In 2002 there were nearly 600 entries, of which a significant portion came from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The theme, which was reported just before the start in 2002, was “Love”.

The Award Ceremony took place on Saturday 21st. of September in the Grand Theatre. The prizes were a trip to Hollywood for two people, an iMac computer and a DV camera from JVC. The winner was 22-year-old Donald Malberg, who besides VideoMarathon’s trophy and an iMac also received a production grant worth 100.000 danish Kroner, which was donated by True Stories TV- & Film Production and Zentropa Real.

In 2002 of  the jury consisted of Katia Forbert Pedersen, director, Palle Strøm, channel editor at TV2 Zulu, Allan Berg, film consultant, Carsten Holst; producer of Zentropa Real, Soren Høy; film critic at DR TV and last year’s winner of  the Special Award 15-year-old Kira Lyngse.

After years of success VideoMarathon has developed into Scandinavia’s largest film competition with independent events in Norway and Sweden. In 2008 we decided to run the competition in the three countries simultaneously, with the same theme and within the same 48 hours, and we launched VideoMarathon as a Scandinavian event, The Scandinavian VideoMarathon.

In 2011 VideoMarathon also started at the Roskilde Festival in collaboration with Nikon, Copenhagen Technical School, Action Video and Roskilde Festival. The event was part of Roskilde Cinema City with Kino.dk and Husets Biograf. The idea was to give participants at the festival an opportunity to try and make films within the VideoMarathon concept. From the beginning VideoMarathon at the Roskilde Festival consisted of two parts; a competition where you had to make films within 48 hours after a secret theme as usual, and as a new edition to the concept a MusicVideoMarathon, where you had to make a music video within 48 hours.

Besides the project, VideoMarathon, True Stories has for several years been running projects for children and immigrants that gives them access to the film media, including the project Children’s VideoMarathon (BørneVideoMarathon), which was launched in 2006, and InterculturalVideoMarathon for the 15-24-year-old which was part of the official European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. In this context True Stories cooperated with CIRIUS, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Integration and the Ministry of Education among others.

In addition to helping people get access to the film media, True Stories has also held a variety of events for major corporations in Denmark and abroad, where the film media is used to promote collaboration in firms and create a focus and understanding between management and employees. Finally, True Stories is in the production of documentaries and television programs.

VideoMarathon idéen blev født i december måned 2000 i en lille lejlighed på Christianshavn med en telefon og to computere. Konkurrencen er opfundet af David Fox. Det store arbejde med at få VideoMarahton op og køre det første år skete med stor hjælp fra Martin Bruun Gibskov og Jan Jensen.

VideoMarathon fandt første gang sted i Øksnehallen i København 17.-19. august 2001. Bag ideen og produktione af VideoMarathon står True Stories TV & Film Produktion. Allerede første år kunne den kalde sig international med deltagelse fra Sverige, Norge og Tyskland.

40 computere var sat op og gjort klar til det 48 timer lange film ræs. Over 400 tilmeldte sig konkurrencen, og 120 udvalgte deltagere mødte op. Emnet, som de mange deltagere skulle følge, var “Danmark”. VideoMarathon lancerede sig allerede fra starten som en filmevent, hvor alle kan deltage. Mottoet lyder: ”Har du en instruktør i maven?” Vores fokus har altid ligget på almindelige mennesker, og det har været vores højeste mål at sikre, at afviklingen af arrangementet sker på en måde, så alle kan være med.

Alle filmene blev senere vist på TV2 Zulu og lagt ud på Internettet. Arrangementet sluttede med en prisoverrækkelse lørdag d. 8. september 2001 i Grand Teatret. Vinderen blev 33-årige Céline Sørensen, der fik en rejse til Hollywood for to personer med bil og hotel og en iMac computer til redigering. Céline Sørensen var studerende og havde stort set ingen tidligere erfaring med videokameraoptagelse.

Den prominente jury bestod af filmanmelder Kim Skotte, tv-redaktør Palle Strøm, filminstruktør Katia Forbert Petersen, præst Mogens Lindhardt, antropolog og filminstruktør Berit Madsen, filminstruktør Anne Regitze Wivel og instruktør/skuespiller Peter Schrøder.

Efter VideoMarathons store succes første år flyttede projektet ud til Filmbyen. Arrangementet blev afholdt d. 30. august – 1. september. Fra at have enkelte tilmeldinger fra udlandet første år, voksede interessen fra nabolandene i 2002, samtidig med at antallet af tilmeldinger voksede.

I 2002 var der næsten 600 tilmeldinger, hvoraf en markant del kom fra Sverige, Norge, Finland, Island og Færøerne. Emnet, som blev oplyst umiddelbart inden start, var i 2002 ”kærlighed”.

Prisoverrækkelsen fandt sted lørdag d. 21. september i Grand Teatret. Præmierne var en rejse til Hollywood for to personer, en iMac computer, og et DV kamera fra JVC. Vinderen blev 22-årige Anders Malberg, der udover VideoMarathons pokal og iMac’en ligeledes modtog et produktionslegat til en værdi af kr. 100.000, som blev skænket af True Stories TV & Film Produktion og Zentropa Real

Juryen bestod i 2002 af Kim Skotte; filmanmelder fra Politiken, Katia Forbert Pedersen; filminstruktør, Palle Strøm; kanalredaktør TV2 Zulu, Allan Berg; filmkonsulent, Carsten Holst; producer fra Zentropa Real, Søren Høy; filmanmelder på DR TV og sidste års vinder af specialprisen 15-årige Kira Lyngse.

Efter flere år med succes har VideoMarathon udviklet sig til Nordens største filmkonkurrence med selvstændinge arrangementer både i Norge og Sverige. I 2008 valgte vi at afvikle de tre lande samtidigt med samme emne og inden for de samme 48 timer og lancerede videomarathon som et skandinavisk event, Skandinavisk VideoMarathon.

I Siden vores start i 2001 med 120 deltagere, er antallet steget støt. I 2006 slog vi rekorden med ikke mindre end 650 deltagere, der alle skulle lave en film færdig inden for 48 timer.

Udover projektet VideoMarathon har True Stories i flere år kørt projekter for børn og indvandre som giver dem adgang til filmmediet, bl.a. lillesøterprojektet BørneVideoMarathon, der blev født i 2006, og InterkultureltVideoMarathon for de 15-24-årige, der var en del af det officielle EU år for Interkulturel Dialog. True Stories samarbejdede i denne forbindelse med bl.a. CIRIUS, Kulturministeriet, Integrationsministeriet og Undervisningsministeriet.

Ud over at hjælpe folk med adgang til filmmediet, har True Stories også afholdt en lang række arrangementer for større firmaer i Danmark og udlandet, hvor filmmediet bruges til at fremme samarbejdet i en virksomhed og skabe fokus og forståelse mellem ledelse og medarbejdere. Endelig beskæftiger True Stories sig med produktion af dokumentarfilm og tv-programmer.