01/10/2007

Last Friday, the Norwegian Cultural Minister Trond Giske announced that the new Norwegian film body (yet without an official name) will be headed by Nina Refseth, who will oversee 90 employees, an annual operating budget of NOK 100m (approximately €13m) and over NOK 300m (€39m) in film support.

Although Refseth (42) has no experience in film she has a strong background in publishing and public cultural activities and for the last three years has been running the publishing company Det Norske Samlaget. As of January 1, 2008, she will take on her new position as CEO for the Norwegian film body, and will report to the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs.

The new centralised film body will replace the existing Norwegian Film Institute, Norwegian Film Fund, Norwegian Film Development Agency and the Norwegian Film Commission.

Set to be operational from April 1, 2008, its key activities will be to support film development (script development and training), production (development and production of short, feature length and documentary films, international co-production, TV drama and interactive products, administration of ticket support system), distribution and marketing of films (at home and abroad) and film culture (archives).

One of Refseth’s first tasks will be to define with the interim board the new organisation of the Norwegian film body so that it will put into effect the government’s new ambitious film policy as outlined in its White Paper passed by the Norwegian Parliament last June (see news).

Among the key objectives of the new national film body will be to raise the domestic market share of Norwegian films from circa 16% to 25%, the DVD and VOD market share to 15%, and to double the export of Norwegian film and television dramas by 2010.