09/11/2005

The much admired Director General of the Swedish Film Institute (SFI), Åse Kleveland, will leave her position next May 2006 to return to her home country Norway which she left in 2000.
"When I was invited to take the job as Director General of the Film Institute, I accepted under the assumption that I would be able to commute the weekend to Oslo", she said. "I have been doing this for the last six years without problem, but realise now that the longing from home has become too strong. This is why I will start heading West under the coming year".
"I have lived as a great advantage the possibility to lead the institute towards the start of a new area under the new Film Agreement. The Swedish government and the different partners in the Film Agreement have now laid down the new plan and framework for the next five years. This includes widening our mandate exactly in the same line as the recommendations for the film policy formulated by the Film Institute. This is why I think that it is one of the most favourable moments for the Film Institute to recruit a new boss".
Åse Kleveland also added: "there have been a lot of changes and progress during this year, and it is nice to see that we have reached many of the goals we had set. Personally, for me these past six years have been fantastic, informative and hardworking", she concluded.

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The First lady at the SFI was Norway’s Minister for Culture between 1990-1996, and in 2003, she received the French Legion d’honneur in acknowledgment of her efforts to promote cooperation in cinema related issues throughout Europe. Following the announcement of her resignation, the Board immediately started looking for her successor.