Abstract

There is much at stake, particularly for small nations, in getting talent development right, for arguably the successful nurturing of future filmmakers is the basis for a given film ecology’s persistence and thriving, as well as for its very viability and capacity to generate different types of value. Such value—be it aesthetic, artistic, cultural, or societal—is itself a decisive factor for the welfare state’s continued commitment to motion pictures as part of a public good. The aim here is to examine the role of constraints in nurturing talent by focusing on a particular talent development initiative, namely the Sketch, a well circumscribed project of limited scope and duration that nonetheless has had a lasting impact on the landscape of Danish talent development.