Towards an alternative history of the video essay: Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Cologne

Complementing more established genealogical accounts of the video essay, this dossier proposes to enlarge the scope of historical investigation to include the work of television. Focusing on Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) based in Cologne and its programs from the mid-1970s, the article highlights essayistic programs by Werner Dütsch, Harun Farocki, and Rainer Gansera. Extrapolating from these examples, it implicitly argues for a European perspective on the contribution of public broadcasting and its film educational efforts to the field of videographic film studies.