Norway earns close to 1 billion in film recordings – could have doubled – NRK Møre og Romsdal – Local News, TV and Radio

To attract great foreign film actors, tempt countries with money or with the so-called repayment scheme, where they recoup part of the money they have spent filming.

– Thanks to the film incentive scheme, this is precisely the production here in Norway, said Culture Minister Abid Raja when he visited Tom Cruise in Åndalsnes last week.

Through the scheme, each production recovers 25 percent of what it has used.

The recording of “Mission: Impossible 7” in all probability, according to the information and the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI), will leave 200 million crowns in Norway. Through this scheme, NFI has offered production of up to NOK 50 million in reimbursement.

One billion recordings have been rejected

The redemption limit to be distributed to film projects in Norway in 2020 is NOK 68 million. When “Mission: Impossible 7” gets 50 million, only 18 million remain for other productions. Therefore, many are rejected.

– The interest is significantly higher than the pot we have available, and then we have to make a selection of projects that qualify for the scheme, says the production consultant at NFI, Tina Beate Goa Fagerheim.

Since 2016, the incentive scheme has attracted productions to Norway totaling NOK 1.1 billion by offering a rebate framework.

If the plan had not been on a budget, film activity in Norway could have been almost double:

In total, Norway has missed more than one billion kronor worth of film recordings, figures from NFI show.

Because there are several qualified applicants who have been rejected. In 2019, for example, the second season of the BBC’s “Frozen Planet” requested a refund frame. They lost the competition and much of the jackpot went to the James Bond shoot:

– No incentive scheme, no filming

When the big international films want to come to Norway, there will be less left for the other projects that will use the scheme.

It is not known for sure if those who are turned away choose to film in Norway, but according to NFI, many producers and streaming services have a policy where they only choose to go to countries that offer incentive schemes.

– This means that a rejection of the Norwegian incentive scheme may mean that film producers choose to downgrade films in Norway, says Fagerheim.

And that may be true, because in 2016, the producer of the Netflix movie “Downsizing” claimed that producers don’t see the country if it doesn’t have an incentive scheme. This is also stated by Per Henry Borch, line producer at True North Norway, responsible for the recording of “Mission: Impossible”.

– No incentive scheme, no filming, he says.

Compared to other countries, Norway’s pot is small. In Iceland, for example, everyone can apply regardless of budget. They also have a free application deadline, shows an overview of “GII”.

That is not the case in Norway. If someone wants to film in Norway in 2021, the application deadline is November 2020.

It may also have led to fewer people having the opportunity to film here, says Fagerheim.

– There will be less flexibility in the scheme when we have to have an annual application deadline. We are in danger of losing some of the big international productions that the scheme aims to attract, he says.

– very little money

Norwegian companies make a lot of money from the great Hollywood movies that come to this country.

– Now we have a unique opportunity to create a great industry in Norway, says NHO Møre og Romsdal senior advisor Pål Bakke.

Bakke fears that more producers prefer to travel to countries like Iceland because they have a better scheme than the one we have here.

– The incentive scheme is very good to bring large productions here, but there is very little money. This is money well invested by the authorities, when we hear how much money they leave in society in another way.

The Ministry of Culture distributes the money, but Bakke believes that perhaps it should be changed.

– Maybe the film industry is so big that it is a trade policy, and that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry should take over the administration and spit out a lot more money so that we can attract more major film productions, he says.

I’ll take a closer look at it

Since 2016, the jackpot has increased from 45 million to 68 million crowns.

In 2019, the Ministry of Culture said they wanted to increase the film incentives scheme, but there was no increase from 2019 to 2020, when the budget for the scheme was set at NOK 68.36 million both years.

The amount that leaves “Mission: impossible” is an argument that the Ministry of Culture will study when the budget arrives on October 7, says Raja.

– There are many reasons to increase the film incentive system. This is one of the things that we are going to consider in relation to the budget.

– I can’t say anything about it until we have submitted the budget, he says.