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

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. Among a large range of activities, the fund has facilitated a transition process which has meant that Scandinavian cinema has become marked by the “hybrid states and hyphenated identities” of current European cinema. Additionally, 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.