The Regional Film Fund as Co-production Crusader: The Case of Film i Väst

Abstract

A focus in this paper is the issue of possible over-production of European films, as spelled out or implied in a number of reports, chapters, books and doctoral dissertations on European cinema during the last decade. Specifically, the activities of the Swedish/Scandinavian co-producer/regional film fund/public company Film i Väst will come under scrutiny. The fund has enabled larger production volumes in Sweden, Scandinavia and Northern Europe during the last two decades. A pivotal query is therefore how the examination of the production activities of an individual regional film fund may illuminate a larger context marked by increasing production and co-production of European films, despite the circumstance that signs of increasing demand are difficult to detect.