Swedish film is in crisis. The number of cinema visitors is too low. The state grants have been eroded and, internationally, Sweden has a low level of public funding – this was stated by the film inquiry in a status report last summer.
The grants to the Film Institute remain at the same level (550 million kronor) as in 2017, and the real value of film support has decreased by almost 25 percent.
Swedish film industry has very large problems – in all areas. These are problems that lie on the desk of the Ministry of Culture, says Jakob Abrahamsson, CEO of the distribution company Nonstop Entertainment.
Outspoken
At the same time as the industry's hopes for the film inquiry are high, Parisa Liljestrand (M) made her stance clear in her keynote speech at the Göteborg Film Festival on January 24, he thinks.
The Minister of Culture emphasized that it is not the task of politics to demand "more and more tax money from citizens because one cannot stand up for one's own priorities".
The message was: "there is no more money to get from the state". That is my reading of the situation. She set a flag on the far corner of the playing field.
Jakob Abrahamsson is also involved in running the Stockholm cinema Capitol and is a co-producer of the currently showing film "Garbo, where did you go". He hopes that the film inquiry will present proposals "of dignity" that can push the industry in the right direction.
To make films that are both broad and good, more money is needed in the system. The Film Institute is on its way to raising the maximum levels of support – and I hope that the film inquiry will follow suit. To make films that are seen by many requires a sum of money that is very difficult to put together in Sweden today.
"Flopp"
"More money", both from streaming giants and from the state, is also demanded by Nina Andersson, CEO of Folket hus och parker, and she emphasizes the importance of support for rural cinemas. Manolo Diaz Ramö at OFF calls for a broad film policy that also includes smaller, unestablished ones. He takes the double Guldbagge winner Ruben Östlund as an example.
His first film, "Gitarrmongot", was a flop, but he was still allowed to continue.
The Minister of Culture's speech is seen by Manolo Diaz Ramö as part of a worrying polarization:
The wind is blowing towards portraying filmmakers as a kind of elite that exploits Swedish tax money, but the reality is entirely different, our members are really struggling to make ends meet.
While the Danish Film Institute has at its disposal the equivalent of 163 kronor per inhabitant, the Swedish (and Finnish) has 52 kronor.
Compared to other cultural areas in Sweden, the film sector receives relatively large sums, which is due to the high production costs.
In total, it is about 680 million kronor at the state level (of which 100 million kronor is for so-called production rebate to attract film productions to Sweden) and at least 190 million kronor at the regional level. In addition, there are SVT's investments.
Source: The film inquiry's status analysis
