Norway

[NO] Revised Rules for Norwegian Film Production Support

IRIS 1998-9:1/13

Nils Klevjer Aas

Norwegian Film Institute

At the end of August, the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Cultural Affairs published revised rules for the support of Norwegian national film production. The rules, which in many other countries take the form of a Finance Law, are issued as "Guidelines", an administrative legal instrument with a long tradition in Norway. The Guidelines cover "selective" support for feature film production, co-productions between independent film production companies and broadcasters, and short film production, as well as the "automatic" support for films playing in cinema theatres. The Guidelines provide detailed rules for the administration of the government grants by four different public bodies entrusted with the selection of projects - the Norwegian Film Institute (features, shorts and the automatic "Box-Office bonuses"), the Audio-Visual Production Fund (tvcinema co-productions) and the two regional production centres in Northern and Western Norway (short films).

The revision has been prompted by the introduction of new budget administration regulations in Norway. While containing a number of revisions and clarifications in comparison with previous rules, the 1998 Guidelines confirm the main aims of Norwegian film policy: to support national quality film production, to reach the widest possible audience, to emphasise films for children and young people, and to increase efficiency and continuity of production. The basic structure of the Norwegian support system remains unchanged , i.e., as a combination of selective and automatic support, provided by the government (1998 total support available: approx. NOK 90 million).