As the Nordisk Film & TV Fond prepares to celebrates its 30th anniversary, at this month’s Göteborg Film Festival, CEO Liselott Forsman has outlined her vision for the upcoming yearm which sees the fund boasting a record high budget of NOK 127 million ($12.8 million), up from last year’s total of NOK 97.75 million ($11.4 million).
The fund’s primary mandate is to support and promote high-end film and TV productions across Nordic territories through the distribution of financing for features, TV fiction, and documentaries.
Forsman has big shoes to fill. When former CEO Petri Kempinnen stepped down on Oct. 31 to spend more time with his family, he left behind a legacy of growth and overachievement in the region and of reacting quickly to and anticipating international market trends. Her unanimous appointment, work as chair of the EBU Fiction Expert Group and proven track record as a writer and producer indicate that she has the experience for the task.
According to Forsman, the Fund’s now 22 partners, including new backers NENT Group, C More Entertainment, Norway’s VGTV and Iceland’s Síminn broaden the collective’s expertise and contributed to this year’s record budget.
She emphasized in brief state of the union style article in Nordisk Film & YV Newsletter Friday that a key question facing any financing body is “balancing the amount of supported titles with the size of the supports.” Last year, the Fund’s largest-ever documentary support was given to Danish production “Scandinavian Star” while record film support went to SF Studios’ fiction period drama “Margrete – Queen of Denmark,” she commented.
While many global streaming platforms push for rights ownerships in buyouts, many Nordic players practice hybrid arrangements, and Forsman plans to employ the collective knowledge of Fond partners to “seek both business and content insights that benefit the whole Nordic branch.”
She also emphasized that Nordic countries must remain active in E.U. discussions relevant to the audiovisual industry as well.
Another area of focus for the Fond in 2020 will be encouraging audience engagement at brick and mortar cinemas. In a world where viewers have unending choices of high-end content at their fingertips from the comfort of their couches, what can exhibitors do to keep cinema seats filled?
To celebrate the Fund’s 30th anniversary, the group will host a party at this year’s Göteborg TV Drama Vision where the winner of this year’s Nordisk Film & TV Award Prize will be announced on Jan. 29.