Norway proposes €3m film & TV fund

Norway has proposed the ‘Nordisk Stor Film Fond’, which is still in early stages of discussion and would have a €3 million (US$3.53 million) budget to support film and TV projects.

Speaking yesterday in Haugesund at the conference ‘The Nordic Bridge – how to strengthen Nordic content in the digital age’, Norway’s Culture Minister Linda Hofstad Helleland proposed the idea for the new scheme, that would be administered by Nordisk Film & TV Fond, on behalf of Nordic film institutes.

Reiterating the Norwegian government’s backing to film and TV drama, Helleland stressed the need to “create new models of financing and distribution” to strengthen Nordic coproductions, and to improve the export of Nordic content.

There has been a range of popular original programming created in Norway over the past few years, including The Killing, Valkyrien (pictured) and Lilyhammer, some of which helped establish the influential ‘Nordic noir’ drama genre.

“We must think of developing big films with artistic ambitions, that have the ability to attract larger audiences and widen the presence of Nordic film internationally,” said Helleland.

Helleland also proposed for the new scheme to be discussed between the Ministers of Culture at the next Nordic Council’s session in November.

The idea is said to have received overall positive feedback from industry delegates.

Claus Ladegaard, head of film funding at the Danish Film Institute and one of the initiators of the Nordic Big budget Film Fund said: “We have to incentivise producers to have bigger ambitions in today’s market where middle films simply don’t work anymore.“