The Film Prize
The Film Prize was awarded for the first time in 2002 as part of the Nordic Council’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. Originally awarded on a trial basis, it was made permanent in 2005, and is awarded along with the prizes for music, literature, and the environment.
Nordisk Film & TV Fond is responsible for the administration of the prize. For further information, see the Nordisk Film & TV Fond website.
Supporting production
The purpose of the Film Prize is to promote Nordic film production, the Region’s film market and the long-term international position of Nordic film.
It is awarded to a full-length feature that has roots in Nordic culture and displays high standards of artistic quality and originality. Innovation is also weighted heavily. The films nominated should preferably be in one of the Nordic languages.
Who decides?
Each Nordic country appoints a jury member and a substitute. These experts must be independent of their home country’s film industry and have no personal financial interest in the nominated films.
The decision
The national jury members form the Nordic Adjudication Committee. Each member proposes nominations from his/her own country, which are announced in early September. The Adjudication Committee then decides which film will win the prize.
The Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland are also entitled to nominate films. Nominations from the Faroe Islands and Greenland are not part of Denmark’s quota. Films from Åland are not part of Finland’s quota. In years when they do submit nominations, an appropriate Faroese, Greenlandic or Åland expert is co-opted onto the committee.
Collective endeavour
The Nordisk Film & TV Fond is responsible for the administration of the prize. The prize is worth DKK 300,000 (approx. €40,300), the same as the prizes for literature, music, and the environment. The money is shared between the scriptwriter, director and producer, underlining the collaborative nature of film-making as an art form.
The Film Prize, along with the other Nordic prizes for literature, music and the environment is awarded at a ceremony during the autumn Session of the Nordic Council.
