Norwegian Film Collection 2015-2016

Recently I received feedback from the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) about a project that I was coordinating in a team last year. The project was to make a Norwegian Film Collection for Norwegian foreign service missions overseas to build international recognition for Norwegian film. The Collection was first launched in 2013 (then known as the Norwegian Embassy Film Collection) and is now produced bi-annually.

The Film Collection is produced by the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) with support from Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 11 languages and delivered to Norwegian foreign service missions. The missions’ task is to find good venues where the films in the package can be disseminated, particularly in areas with no major international film festival.

The Film Collection will lead to greater demand in the long term for Norwegian film and enhance opportunities for sales and international distribution. 

Stine Helgeland, the Head of my Department (International Relations and Promotions) in NFI had given me the freedom to be the unofficial art director for this Collection and revamp it from the previous design. For the task, I studied the film collections from other Scandinavian countries, as well as researching similar projects, before deciding on how the design can be made more user-friendly and distinctly recognisable. Stine was quite pleased with the result and quality of this Collection and it set the precedent for future Collections.

Minor details like the alignment of the titles, organising the titles in alphabetical order, proofreading, colour coding for the different genres, placement of logos, choice of photos on the cover,  and gathering information for synopsis and crew fell onto my table.

Using 3D effects in Photoshop, I created the image above as a backdrop for the public launch of the Collection to the featured filmmakers and MFA in March 2015.

Facts about the Norwegian Film Collection 2015-2016:

• Subtitles in ​​Norwegian, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Portuguese / Brazilian, Arabic, Russian and Mandarin.

• Eight feature films: Kon-Tiki, Jeg er din (I am yours), Victoria, Pionér (Pioneer), Kyss meg for faen i helvete (Kiss me fucking hell), Keeper`n til Liverpool (Goalkeeper for Liverpool), Pelle Politibil på sporet (Pelle the Police Car on the track), Jørgen + Anne = Sant (Totally True Love).

• Four documentaries: En ballong til Allah (A balloon for Allah), Til ungdommen (Bravehearts), Søsken til evig tid (Siblings forever), Let The Scream Be Heard

• Two archival footage collections: Five Edvard Munch short films and a collection of polar films 
  

• Twelve short films: Stop Blaming the Iceberg, Skallaman (Bald man), Prematur (Premature), Å åpne, å se (Opening to see), Mannen fra isødet (The Man from the ice fields), Alien Repair Guy, Snø (Snow), Pyse (Wimp), Drømmen om kongeørnen (Dream of the Golden Eagle), Det siste norske trollet (the last Norwegian troll), Den magiske tiden (The magic time) og Superpappa og Pelé.

During the process, I was coordinating intensely with the contractor and the designer about the packaging. It was challenging working with a designer virtually to get every single detail right in text and graphics. Sometimes the designer missed a letter in the text. Requests for edits were not noted in full, so follow-up reminders needed to be given. 

 

Having some design background helped as I made a template for the designer to follow. In the end the hard work was satisfying when everything just came together in synchronicity :)


Some of the feedback (translated from Norwegian):

"We have experienced increased demand for Norwegian film from film festivals and cultural institutions around the United States and are very excited to have these great packages to offer them. Most used are films for children, and the embassy has shown short films for children at several events in cooperation with cultural institutions in Washington D.C. We hope the new package in 2017-18 will be produced, as we have benefited greatly from the program."


 "When we have used the films in various festivals / theaters they were shown to a large audience of different ages and from different backgrounds. (The Film Collection) has been widely embraced. It is particularly important with good Russian subtitles in all movies. English is not a language people master well in Russia, and thus subtitles are indispensable."


"The embassy in Rome are very pleased with the Film Collection 2015-2016. The films have been shown at the main arena of Nordic Film Fest, which takes place for the fifth time this year, with an audience of around 3,500 people. A Nordic Film Festival in Rome showed Nordic culture for an Italian audience through cinematography. About twenty festivals and film clubs in Italy have used this collection's different alternatives. We hope for a new edition 2017/18."

 

Making a positive impact for the outreach of Norwegian films gives such a nice warm feeling to my heart. I am motivated to do the next Collection better than ever. Thank you Mia Lindrup and Ingrid Dokka, for being such good team-mates!

 

x Pixy