John Burgan
Encyclopedia
John Burgan is an independent documentary director and writer. Many of his films are themed around identity, sense of belonging, and migration.
Burgan is best known for his 1998 documentary essay Memory of Berlin. Sometimes autobiographical, sometimes observational, he takes the viewer on a search for identity, sharing his own roots as English adoptee as well as reflecting on the torn identity of the city he chose to live in: Berlin
. The film was shown in many film festivals around the world and received the first prize at the Marseille festival "Vue sur les Docs". The film was repeatedly broadcast by ZDF
and ARTE
. Selected commentary to "Memory of Berlin" was published in Grand Street (magazine).
In Friendly Enemy Alien Burgan asks: "Friends, enemies, aliens: is it possible to be all three at once? June 1940: Jewish refugees from Austria, Germany and Italy flee Hitler at the outbreak of the war and are given asylum in England, to be interned as suspected spies, shipped off on the HMT Dunera to Australia to endure months behind barbed wire deep in the outback."
Friendly Enemy Alien was first broadcast by ZDF
in Germany in August 2006. The Daily Telegraph quotes John Burgan on his motives for making this film: "Refugees are invariably unwanted and unloved when they arrive, but being at the bottom of the heap they knuckle down and make the best of the chance they've been given, to become an asset to their adopted country."
Chris Marker
said about John Burgan's work: "I guess it's about time for the First-Person film to become a genre by itself, and for historians to wonder why, as it had been at the roots of literature, it took so much time to the cinema to catch up. I don't take any risk at predicting Memory of Berlin will be considered as a milestone in the road of the film-essay."
, East Yorkshire
where he attended Hymers College
. He read English Language and Literature at Newcastle University from 1981 to 1984, then worked as a picture editor at the BBC
before attending the National Film and Television School
from 1989 to 1992. He was chosen by Richard Attenborough
to receive the Student Award attached to his own 1992 Shakespeare Prize
(Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.
). Previous recipients include director Sam Mendes.
In 1992, Burgan moved to Berlin
and was awarded a Nipkow Programme Fellowship to develop the documentary essay, Memory of Berlin, completed in 1998.
In Berlin, Burgan worked as a writer, director and editor and also taught documentary and media production at the Berlin University of the Arts
and at workshops at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg
and the Bilgi University, Istanbul
. He was artist-in-residence at the Villa Aurora Los Angeles in 2003. In 2005, he joined Doug Block
and Ben Kempas in hosting The D-Word
, an online community for documentary filmmakers.
John Burgan is the author of entries on Robert Vas
, Jean-Pierre Gorin
and The Back of Beyond
in the Encyclopaedia of the Documentary Film edited by Ian Aitken
.
Burgan's Friendly Enemy Alien received "Best Documentary" at the "Achtung Berlin New Berlin Film Awards" in 2006.
John Burgan taught the documentary course at the European Film College
in Ebeltoft
, Denmark
for two years from 2006 before returning to the United Kingdom
to take up a teaching and research post at Aberystwyth University in 2008. A Fellow
of the Royal Society of Arts
, he is currently Senior Lecturer at the Newport Film School, part of the University of Wales, Newport
.
He also worked as a consultant on Memories of Rain (2004) and Cinemania
(2002). He is credited as "John 'The Godfather' Burgan" on the latter.
Burgan is best known for his 1998 documentary essay Memory of Berlin. Sometimes autobiographical, sometimes observational, he takes the viewer on a search for identity, sharing his own roots as English adoptee as well as reflecting on the torn identity of the city he chose to live in: Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The film was shown in many film festivals around the world and received the first prize at the Marseille festival "Vue sur les Docs". The film was repeatedly broadcast by ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
. Selected commentary to "Memory of Berlin" was published in Grand Street (magazine).
In Friendly Enemy Alien Burgan asks: "Friends, enemies, aliens: is it possible to be all three at once? June 1940: Jewish refugees from Austria, Germany and Italy flee Hitler at the outbreak of the war and are given asylum in England, to be interned as suspected spies, shipped off on the HMT Dunera to Australia to endure months behind barbed wire deep in the outback."
Friendly Enemy Alien was first broadcast by ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
in Germany in August 2006. The Daily Telegraph quotes John Burgan on his motives for making this film: "Refugees are invariably unwanted and unloved when they arrive, but being at the bottom of the heap they knuckle down and make the best of the chance they've been given, to become an asset to their adopted country."
Chris Marker
Chris Marker
Chris Marker is a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and film essayist. His best known films are La jetée , A Grin Without a Cat , Sans Soleil and AK , an essay film on the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa...
said about John Burgan's work: "I guess it's about time for the First-Person film to become a genre by itself, and for historians to wonder why, as it had been at the roots of literature, it took so much time to the cinema to catch up. I don't take any risk at predicting Memory of Berlin will be considered as a milestone in the road of the film-essay."
Biography
John Burgan grew up in Kingston upon HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire could be:*East Yorkshire Motor Services*An alternative name for the East Riding of Yorkshire*East Yorkshire , a former district of Humberside*East Yorkshire...
where he attended Hymers College
Hymers College
Hymers College is a co-educational independent school located on the site of the old Botanic Gardens of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1893 as a boys' school, but expanded to include girls from the 1970s onwards.-History:...
. He read English Language and Literature at Newcastle University from 1981 to 1984, then worked as a picture editor at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
before attending the National Film and Television School
National Film and Television School
The National Film and Television School was established in 1971 and is based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and it is located close to Pinewood Studios.-History:...
from 1989 to 1992. He was chosen by Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
to receive the Student Award attached to his own 1992 Shakespeare Prize
Shakespeare Prize
The Shakespeare Prize was an annual prize for writing or performance awarded to a British citizen by the Hamburg Alfred Toepfer Foundation. First given by Alfred Toepfer in 1937 as an expression of his Anglophilia in the face of tense international conditions, the prize was awarded only twice...
(Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.
Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.
The Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. is a German foundation established in 1931 by the Hamburg merchant Alfred Toepfer. The foundation is committed to promoting European unification and ensuring cultural diversity and understanding between the countries of Europe.- History :The rich industrialist...
). Previous recipients include director Sam Mendes.
In 1992, Burgan moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and was awarded a Nipkow Programme Fellowship to develop the documentary essay, Memory of Berlin, completed in 1998.
In Berlin, Burgan worked as a writer, director and editor and also taught documentary and media production at the Berlin University of the Arts
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
and at workshops at the University of Fine Arts, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and the Bilgi University, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He was artist-in-residence at the Villa Aurora Los Angeles in 2003. In 2005, he joined Doug Block
Doug Block
Doug Block is an American independent director, cameraman and producer.Doug Block's documentary credits include:*The Kids Grow Up...
and Ben Kempas in hosting The D-Word
The D-Word
The D-Word is a worldwide online community for professionals in the documentary film industry. Discussions include creative, business, technical, and social topics related to documentary filmmaking....
, an online community for documentary filmmakers.
John Burgan is the author of entries on Robert Vas
Robert Vas
Robert Vas — film director He came to England after the Hungarian uprising in 1956. He was committed to documentary and, after a short period working for the National Coal Board, he went on to make a seminal series of films for the BBC...
, Jean-Pierre Gorin
Jean-Pierre Gorin
Jean-Pierre Gorin is a French filmmaker and professor, best known for his work with Nouvelle Vague luminary Jean-Luc Godard during what is often referred to as Godard's "radical" period....
and The Back of Beyond
The Back of Beyond
The Back of Beyond is a feature-length award-winning Australian documentary film produced and directed by John Heyer for the Shell Film Unit. In terms of breadth of distribution, awards garnered, and critical response, it is Heyer's most successful film...
in the Encyclopaedia of the Documentary Film edited by Ian Aitken
Ian Aitken
Ian Aitken is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at the King Alfred School, Hampstead, Lincoln College, Oxford and the LSE. He served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1945-48....
.
Burgan's Friendly Enemy Alien received "Best Documentary" at the "Achtung Berlin New Berlin Film Awards" in 2006.
John Burgan taught the documentary course at the European Film College
European Film College
The European Film College is a school that offers an eight-month foundation course in practical filmmaking covering the fields of script-writing, cinematography, sound, acting, directing, editing, documentary and production management. The School is based in Ebeltoft, Denmark...
in Ebeltoft
Ebeltoft
Ebeltoft is a town with a population of 7,559 on the central east coast of Denmark, located in Syddjurs municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Danish peninsula of Jutland....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for two years from 2006 before returning to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to take up a teaching and research post at Aberystwyth University in 2008. A Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
, he is currently Senior Lecturer at the Newport Film School, part of the University of Wales, Newport
University of Wales, Newport
The University of Wales, Newport is a university based in Newport, South Wales. The university has two campuses; Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city and a £35 million campus on the banks of the River Usk in Newport city centre opened in 2011...
.
Films
- Chekhov's Close Ups: Swinton & Szábó (1995)
- Memory of Berlin (1998)
- Behind Words (2005)
- Friendly Enemy Alien (2006)
- Power and Place (2010)
He also worked as a consultant on Memories of Rain (2004) and Cinemania
Cinemania (film)
Cinemania is a 2002 German / American documentary about five obsessed cinemaphiles, who, throughout the year, each see two to five films a day.-Cast:...
(2002). He is credited as "John 'The Godfather' Burgan" on the latter.