Evaluation of Nordisk Forum

Oulu 2007

12 months have passed since Nordisk Forum took place in Oulu, and we have gathered information on the financial outcome and project development as a result of the event. Questionnaires were sent to the pitching producers and this report is based on the answers from all those addressed.


The projects
For the first time, the financial requirements of the guidelines (the so-called 25% rule) was suspended, thus allowing for projects to be assessed strictly on crossborder potential. The number of applicants totalled 47 project applications from the eight participating countries, counting the five Nordic and three Baltic countries. 21 projects were ultimately selected for the main pitching programme, 3 from Denmark, 2 from Finland, 1 from Iceland, 6 from Norway, 7 from Sweden, 1 from Estonia and - for the first time - 1 from Lithuania.

2 additional projects were pitched in the alternative categories of pitching: 1 New Talent Pitch, putting the spotlight on up-coming documentary filmmakers with their brand new projects to the Nordisk Forum scene. The second scheduled New Talent Pitch was cancelled at the last minute, and was ultimately replaced with the Moderator's Hat, giving an Observer the opportunity to pitch a project on the spot.


The results
During and after Nordisk Forum 2007, 38 financial deals were entered between participating producers and financiers, 22 prebuys  and 16 co-productions , amounting to a total turnover between financiers and producers of €735.000, which is lower than 2006's recordbreaking result of €900.000, but in return remains on a stable average level. The turnover is based on the actual numbers invested in each project reported by the producers.

With a total budget of €78.000 and a turnover of approx. €735.000, Nordisk Forum can demonstrate a cost-benefit result of close to 1:10.

The current status of the 23 pitched projects is as follows: 9 are completed, 8 are in post-production, 4 are in production, 1 is in pre-production and 1 project was subsequently canceled due to particpants' withdrawal. Thus, 96% are in various stages of production or completed.  
Not counting the canceled project in the following, 18 of 22 projects secured additional financing as a result of Nordisk Forum, which demonstrates an 82% coverage.
 
12 projects obtained financing from several broadcasters or film institutes, while 6 obtained financing from only one single financier. Of the remaining 4 projects, which did not obtain additional funding, 2 are completed, 1 is in post-production and 1 is in pre-production. A considerable number of co-production deals were entered between producers in addition to interest and investments in Observers' projects.

The attending broadcasters entered 23 financing deals. The Finnish broadcaster, YLE, entered the highest number of deals, 9 in all. The Swedish broadcaster, SVT made the biggest investment, however in fewer projects. The film institutes entered 15 deals, including 6 top-up financing deals from Nordic Film & TV Fund.

 
Conclusion:
Even though the turnover is lower than the preceding two years, the results are remarkable:

•    82% of the projects received additional financing as a result of participation in Nordisk Forum. Financiers were in general very satisfied with the selection and the high quality of the projects, which is demonstrated by the diffusion of their investments. However, the amount on an average prebuy is getting smaller per project, numbers have decreased during the past years.

•    The number of completed films or films in post-production (77%) only one year after the event is unprecedented. This is not a tendency observed over a period of time, it is outstanding for this edition, however it is safe to say that the producers participating in Nordisk Forum are becoming increasingly more professionalized; collaborating across borders, entering co-production deals and thinking out of the box in terms of securing additional alternative funding.

Crossborder exchange
The participation of non-Nordic professionals plays an important role in the extroversion of Nordisk Forum and stimulates the forging of crossborder ties in terms of both creative exchange, financing and distribution. However, evaluations show that these initiatives become more meaningful over time, so professional relationships can develop and grow. For the fifth year in a row, professionals from the Baltic region were invited to participate in order to establish and further develop the professional networks between the Nordic and Baltic regions. 4 producers, in addition to 4 Other Professionals and 2 Financiers participated from the Baltic countries.

Financiers outside the Nordic region included Raimo Jõerand from Estonian Film Institute and Heidi Pruuli from Eesti Televisioon. In addition, ZDF in Germany participated for the first time, represented by Sabine Bubeck-Paaz and finally Philippe Müller from ARTE G.E.I.E was present again. 2 international distributors were present; Charlotta Bjuvman from Telepicture Marketing, UK and Jan Rofekamp from Films Transit, Canada. Jan Rofekamp also shared his vast experience in the packed Nordisk Forum seminar: The Ever-Evolving Documentary Marketplace.

The Nordic and Baltic MEDIA Desks were again present with an Information Desk. Their presence brings them in direct contact with their primary users, the producers, and both parties benefit accordingly. The MEDIA Desks once again hosted a successful and well-attended closing reception.
 

Moderators
In advance of Nordisk Forum, all Pitch Team Members were encouraged to book meetings with at least one of the three moderators – which 17 of 22 pitch teams in fact did. The point was to sharpen the presentation and lessen the tension before the pitch. Bo-Erik Gyberg, Sweden, Cecilia Lidin, Denmark and Paul Pauwels, Belgium moderated the pitching sessions and they once again received very positive feedback from the producers.

Meetings and services
Filmkontakt Nord pre-books all individual meetings between financiers and producers in order to avoid unnecessary pressure and provide the best working conditions for the delegates. A total of 177 meetings were booked, of which Pitch Teams were granted 119 of the 105 requested meetings (113% - since last-minute meetings were set up after the pitches), while Observers were granted 58 of 98 requests (60%), maintaining previous year's ratio.
As an additional service, Filmkontakt Nord took notes of the panel discussions after each pitch, helping the pitch teams to follow up on comments and suggestions after the event.

Nordisk Forum Online and Publications
This year, Nordisk Forum further developed last year's new internet component, Nordisk Forum Online, offering attending financiers the opportunity to preview the Nordisk Forum projects online and see short trailer excerpts. Financiers' profiles and an online meeting booking system was introduced, facilitating the meeting scheduling and allowing for the pre-scheduling of micromeetings with several financiers at once. 41 projects were presented on Nordisk Forum Online, serving as a live project catalogue, but also a platform, offering the attending financiers a modern, effective tool and an opportunity to see what's in the pipeline among Observer projects.
Statistics show that the financiers use the online platform to a great extend before and after the event. Financiers and filmmakers alike expressed great satisfaction with this new service and more online features will be developed for future editions.
In addition, Nordisk Forum distributed the regular catalogues in print: The Project Catalogue, providing information on the projects to be pitched, and a Participants' Guide, containing delegate list, profiles of commissioning editors and contact information etc.


General feedback
Filmkontakt Nord received very good feedback from the participants at Nordisk Forum 2007.
Especially first time participants and Observers expressed their satisfaction with the promotion platform NF Online in addition to their inclusion in the pre-booked one-on-one meetings - resulting in more visibility than an Observer would have at other events.
Pitch teams find Nordisk Forum to be an effective industrial platform and business venue in terms of establishing and maintaining contacts with financiers and co-producers, in addition to meeting other professionals and financiers from other countries.
In conclusion, participants find that Nordisk Forum is a well-organized and vital event with services that cater to the industry's various needs in order to maximise the output of the event.

Please find the statistics here.

Prepared for Filmkontakt Nord by

Heidi Elise Christensen
Nordisk Forum Manager
November 2008