24/03/2005

Q&A with Markku Flink, Head of POEM

Cineuropa: What are the advantages for foreign producers to shoot in your region?
Markku Flink: Foreign producers can shoot in our region and we can provide both financial support as well as film commission services. Advantages are professional local staff, good infrastructure and production companies who have a lot of experience on international co-productions. We have also a close relationship with Filmpool Nord which is the regional film fund in North Sweden in Luleå. This relationship opens an opportunity for international co-productions between Sweden and Finland as well as with North Norway.
The landscape in North Finland has its production value as well. POEM is based near the Arctic Circle surrounded by the fantastic Northern Lights, endless summer days and dramatic ice and snow in winter. The landscape varies from the seaside via big, free rivers through the low land to mountainous regions in the East. POEM also harnesses the region's combination of hi-tech expertise and creative talent and fosters co-operation that benefits both fields.

What is your main strategy for Poem in 2005-2006?
Our main strategy is to establish POEM and the City of Oulu as a major regional film foundation and development centre for film, television and mobile games in Finland. Our common goal with Filmpool Nord is to create a strong cross-border collaboration between two regions in two different countries and to build a common infrastructure for film and television production in the region on Bothnia Arc. The aim is the co-production fund of the North Calotte which attracts international companies to co-produce films in the Northern Scandinavia.

What does it mean for you to be part of the Cine-Regio network?
The Cine-Regio network is a forum to exchange ideas, to establish further collaboration with other regions in Europe but especially to work together towards European Union and to influence on Media Programme and other fundíng programmes. The aim is to strengthen the position and importance of the regions in the field of European film and audiovisual industry. Maybe we will see in a near future some strong cross-border collaborative film regions in East, Central, West, South and North Europe. Together these multinational regions will perhaps have a better and more acknowledged position within the European film industry. I think this kind of development could benefit both fields - the industry and the regions as well.

POEM (Finland)
Founded: 2000
Head of Fund: Markku Flink
Annual budget for feature film and documentary: €419,752
Max amount awarded to a feature film: Between 5-10% of the budget
Feature films supported in 2004: 3