Norrbotten has become a major film region

Luleå Norrbotten has become increasingly interesting for filming. In the past year, several high-profile films and TV series have been shot here. Blackwater is currently being shown on SVT, and a Norrbotten documentary film has been nominated for four Guldbagge Awards at the national film awards ceremony Guldbaggegalan on 23 January.

Blackwater (Händelser vid vatten), based on Kerstin Ekman's novel, was largely filmed in Arjeplog last year and stars Rolf Lassgård in one of the roles. It is one of SVT's big bets at the moment.

It's just one of several big shoots in Norrbotten in 2022. Another shoot that will get a lot of attention is a TV series about the recently deceased ice hockey legend Börje Salming that will be shown on Viaplay. A feature film, Ett sista race, has been shot in Luleå and Boden with a large number of famous actors. The TV series Fake Patient is produced by the local production company Iris Film.

Last autumn, the feature film about the Knyckertz family was shot in Luleå. It is a stand-alone sequel to the 2021 Christmas calendar on SVT, which was a viewing success among both young and old. In recent years, several children's productions have been filmed in Norrbotten: including several seasons of LasseMajas detective agency shown on TV4/CMore and Lill-Zlatan and uncle darling which has been shown in cinemas.  Major children's productions are also planned for next year in the county.

And more is on the way in the near future with plans to film hit novels such as Vargasommar, Stolen and Koka Björn.

In most productions, the regional film fund Filmpool Nord is involved as an investor and co-producer. Even in productions where Filmpool Nord is not a co-financier, it is a partner for the production companies that shoot films and TV series, such as Netflix and Disney Plus, which have productions in the pipeline in Norrbotten.

"Of course, we support all production companies that want to shoot in the county. We are an important financier for many, but also a guide and a partner for film companies that want to shoot here," says Sandra Warg, CEO of Filmpool Nord.  

"A TV production where we contribute money often returns 3-4 times the money to the region in the form of hotel nights, restaurant bills, rental cars and salaries for local film workers. On top of that, such income also comes from productions where we guide them here but don't invest a krona, just contribute with other help," says Sandra Warg.

An important role for Filmpool Nord is also to help build the film industry in Norrbotten, which in turn can become an important part of the so-called creative industries, which in turn are considered important for Norrbotten to be an attractive area to live in.

"We have several different initiatives to build the industry. Firstly, we have a film course, Young Heart Film, for the youngest. In addition, we collaborate with several other actors on courses, talent initiatives and skills development. For example, we lack production managers in Norrbotten, where we will be offering a digital training course in the spring. The fact that we now have a local film production company in Luleå, Iris Film, with the expertise to produce feature films and TV series increases the opportunities for major production companies to shoot here when they have a local, competent partner," says Sandra Warg.

On Monday, the big national Guldbagge Awards take place in Stockholm. The documentary Historjá - stitches for Sápmi, co-produced by Filmpool Nord, a poetic portrayal by Sami artist Britta Marakatt-Labba, has four  nominations: for best film, best documentary, best sound design and best original music.

Alongside the more well-known TV and film initiatives, Filmpool Nord also funds a number of documentaries and short films shot in the region.

For children and young people in schools, film culture and film education activities are carried out throughout the county. These include a digital film school and filmriket.play, where current films are shown, many of which are linked to curricula and syllabuses.  

Filmpool Nord is a company owned by Region Norrbotten and 13 of the county's 14 municipalities. Filmpool Nord has an annual capital of around SEK 20 million, which is invested in film and television productions. In addition, it has a budget for children and youth activities, training, skills development and development work within film in Norrbotten.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com

Footnote: 

For transparency: the author of the article is the chairman of the board of Filmpool Nord.