The key points in the New Film Agreement are the following:
More films. The DFI will support the production of 82-104 Danish films over the four year period. Those will include 12-24 low budget films (via the creation of a new Low-Budget scheme), 8 Danish films targeting the international market and 20-36 minority Danish co-productions.
Stronger economy. DKK 70m extra funding will be invested over this period to help the local industry adapt to the digital shift. The annual budget for film – administered by the Danish Film Institute - will increase from DKK530 million to DKK563million.
Talent Support. Upcoming talents will be able to experiment different formats via the new low budget scheme, while New Danish Screen will continue to support the development of talents in all genres, formats and across different platforms. Its minimum budget for that period will be DKK 128 million.
Double the money for computer games.The current budget for computer games will double in size, from DKK20 million to DKK40 million and the DFI will host a new gaming department.
In her press statement, the Danish Culture minister Marianne Jelved (pictured) said: “I am pleased that all parties at the Parliament have agreed that Danish film should continue to create good stories”. She added: “Danish film is under financial strain at the moment, so we have set aside an extra DKK 70 million over the next four years and have sent a clear signal to the film industry that they need to find new business models matching the digital development.”
The Danish government expects to meet again with film industry representatives next summer to evaluate various initiatives regarding new digital business models, including faster access to digital platforms for less commercial titles. In addition, rights holders and the telecommunication industry have been asked to evaluate by the summer 2015 the best way to limit piracy.
Both the Danish Producers Association and Filmmakers Associations welcomed positively the government’s understanding of the current challenges of the film industry and the pressure put on the various players to combat piracy and develop new viable digital business models.