12/04/2006

German-born Martin Schlüter moved to Iceland in 1989 where he set up his production company together with director Ásdís Thoroddsen. In 2005, he joined the Icelandic Film Centre (IFC) as Head of Production. He tells Cineuropa about the IFC’s new budget negotiations with the local government and exciting new Icelandic films for 2006.

Cineuropa: Could you remind me of the Icelandic Film Centre´s annual budget for film production?
Martin Schlüter: We have around €2m per year for feature film production and €1m for documentaries and short films. Our production budget is anywhere up to €2.5m and our support is around €500,000-€600,000 per film. Ideally we’d like our support to cover 40% of the budget. We’re currently negotiating with the government for a new contract on financing the Fund for 2006 to 2009 and two areas are particularly important. First of all, we’d like our annual film production budget to be increased so that we can support bigger budget films, as well as low and medium budget films. And it would be ideal to see other financial partners, such as TV companies or private investors more involved in the Icelandic Film Industry.
We would also like the government to extend the 12% reimbursement on film or TV production costs in Iceland and to consider increasing it. This is essential in order to continue to compete with other European territories, such as the UK that recently changed its tax incentives. So far, the 12% refund in production costs in Iceland has been very positive in attracting big productions, such as Clint Eastwood’s Flags Of Our Fathers because Iceland is otherwise quite expensive compared to other European countries. But we do offer very experienced crew and our country is completely un-bureaucratic and has a very highly developed infrastructure.

How is your relationship with other European co-production partners?
We have very good relationships with German and UK partners in particular, as well as the long established co-production experience with Scandinavian Countries. But Icelandic filmmakers have always sought financing abroad, not only through public funding but also through strong networking contacts.
A small Icelandic film costs around €1m, and an average film nearly €2m. Last year two projects were made for between €5m and €10m: A little Trip To Heaven [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Baltasar Kormakur and Beowulf And Grendel by Sturla Gunnarson. But these were shot in English and we’re trying to figure out how we can handle English-language films while still continuing to protect our cultural identity.

What interesting Icelandic projects are being lined-up for 2006? Let’s start with Eleven Men Out by Robert Douglas which was selected at the Panorama section in Berlin this year. Then Thicker than Water, an Icelandic/Danish/German co-production is being released theatrically and could perhaps find a slot at the next Cannes Film Festival. The film is the feature film debut of Ari Oli Asgeirsson who studied at the Lotz Film School in Poland and had a short film selected at Cannes’ Cinefondation in 2002.
There is Baltasar Kormakur’s new film Jar City (Mýrin), whose principal photohraphy started on March 10, The Good Heart; the new film by the director of Dark Horse [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Noi the Albino; Dagur Kári which will be filmed next summer, and A Gathering of Foes, the ambitious new film by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson based on an Icelandic saga.