30/04/2014 - Nordic culture ministers sign a new agreement with the Nordic film institutes and TV stations to annually back the film and television industry with €10.4 million

Yesterday (29 April), the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, which annually supports the production and distribution of 50 features, documentaries and TV dramas, signed a five-year agreement for the 2015-2019 operation at its current budget level of €10.4 million.

“Nordic film and television series play an increasingly important role in our understanding of each other, both within the Nordic countries and especially abroad, where they help with the branding of the Nordic culture and countries,” said Icelandic Culture Minister Illugi Gunnarsson. 

This year, Iceland holds the chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers, which provides one-third of the budget; two-thirds come from the film institutes and foundations in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and from the 11 Nordic public and commercial broadcasters.

“We see the Council's continued participation as a sign of recognition of the work that the industry partners have done in creating the success that has already been labelled the 'Golden Age' for Nordic films and television," said the CEO of the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Petri Kemppinen, who took over the job from Hanne Palmquist last November.

“A continuous flow of internationally awarded films, including Oscar-winners, and the recent praise garnered by many television dramas - not only in our own region, but also worldwide - are excellent tools for promoting and exporting Nordic storytelling, culture and values directly to the public,” Kemppinen added. 

Besides subsidising film and TV production, the Oslo-based foundation organises industry events such as the annual Nordic Talents programme, and it has since 2002 been the secretariat of the Nordic Council Film Prize, awarded every year along with a €47,000 cheque.