Flexibility is a keyword in public funding for film and moving images in 'The 2019-2022 Media and Film Policy Proposal', which was published in February 2018 by the Danish Film Institute. Overall, the proposal focuses on ensuring high-quality content of cultural value for all.
The proposal addresses three challenges faced by Danish film:
- Ensuring the value and cultural significance of film
- Keeping pace with the digital transition
- Ensuring funding for Danish films
Value and cultural significance refers to Danish film as a shared cultural space of interpretation for different understandings of our existence, time and history. The funding system must be designed to strengthen the cultural significance of Danish film to the individual and to society.
The necessity of digital transition is dictated by a media world characterized by groundbreaking changes in production and usage patterns. The situation calls for flexibility and less detailed regulation in the awarding of film funding and a restructuring of film dissemination.
Funding for Danish films is declining because of changes to the revenue foundation. Moreover, the competitive conditions in the digital content market are being challenged by new global actors. There is a need to increase funding and strengthen the revenue foundation, if the quality and volume of Danish narratives is to be maintained.
The DFI consequently proposes the following priority areas:
- Flexibility and increased support for fictional narratives
- Flexibility in the support for documentaries and series
- Financially strengthening the funding for series through the Public Service Fund
- Establishing a new fund with a broader scope for children and youth
- Ensuring cinematic narratives from all over the country and for everybody
- Strengthening the dissemination of films
- Digitising and making available the film heritage
Overall, the DFI proposes increasing the funding for Danish content production by DKK 250 million (approx. EUR 34 million), to be financed via contributions from streaming services, by re-allocating license revenues and via the Finance Act.
Published February 2018