About DFI

The Danish Film Institute (DFI) is Denmark's national agency for film and cinema culture. We support the development, production and distribution of films and run the national archives.

The DFI Filmhouse in the heart of Copenhagen provides a vibrant meeting place for filmbuffs and filmmakers alike with the Cinematheque and its three cinemas, a videotheque, restaurant and café, bookshop and a film lab for children, FILM-X.

DFI at a glance

Who are we

The Danish Film Institute is a government body under the Ministry of Culture and operates in accordance with the Film Act of 1997. 

What we do

DFI allocates subsidies for the development, production and distribution of Danish films as well as international co-productions. Support programmes also include film education and international promotion. The DFI archives include a library, a stills & posters archive and a film archive, and the DFI also runs the Filmhouse open to the public, including the Cinematheque.     

What kind of films do we support?

An important task of the DFI is to provide a framework for film funding which promotes diversity and risk-willingness in the industry. We do this by offering many gateways to production support, highlighting talent development and keeping a sharp eye on new digital platforms.

The DFI supports the production of 25 feature films and 25-30 documentary and short films every year. There are three kinds of support: the film commissioner scheme, the market scheme and the talent development scheme at New Danish Screen. Moreover, young directors may apply to the DFI Film Workshop which promotes experimental film art.

The DFI strongly encourages international partnerships and allows for seven to nine minor co-productions in feature film and four to six minor co-productions in documentary film per year. See Funding. 

A cornerstone of Danish film policy is to fund children and youth films to which 25 percent of all subsidies are allocated. See Children & Youth. 

Budget

Looking at the DFI budget 2011, 42 percent of subsidy funds are allocated to the production and development of feature films, another 14 percent to short fiction and documentary production, while talent development is allocated 8 percent, leaving 10 percent to Public Service Television Fund and 8 percent to Video Games. More about the Budget, link in right column.

History

In 1997, in accordance with the Film Act, three film organizations merged: the Danish Film Institute catering for feature films, the National Film Board of Denmark handling short fiction and documentary, and the Danish Film Museum, curator of the film archives. An historical overview can be found in Danish Film History.