HISTORY
The Norwegian Film and TV Producers’ Association (Produsentforeningen) has a long history. The Association was established in 1930 by private feature film producers, as a result of the establishment of the publicly-owned production company Norsk Film AS in 1932. The association was inactive during the war, along with most other organizational activity in Norway. In 1946 new life was breathed into the Norwegian Film Producers’ Association. The film workers’ union, Norsk Filmforbund, was established that same year. Since then, Norsk Filmforbund has sat across the negotiating table from the producers in wage and tariff discussions.
In the 1950s Produsentforeningen played an important role in film politics. The producers were the motive power in altering the support system. The short film producers joined the association at this time, and have subsequently played an integral role. Key cinematic personalities such as Ivo Caprino, Otto Carlmar, Øyvind Vennerød, Tore Kinge, Knut Jørgen Erichsen, Nils R. Müller and Nils Reinhard Christensen all held important honorary posts. During the late 1960s an agreement on the airing of Norwegian feature films was negotiated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).
Commissioned film producers, who played a central role in the Norwegian Film and Video Producers’ Association along with Teamfilm and Mefistofilm, joined in the ’70s and early ’80s. Norsk Film AS and the private feature film producers were not organized in this association. In 1984 the Feature Film Producers’ Joint Committee (Spillefilmprodusentenes Fellesutvalg) was established, supported by Norsk Film, Marcusfilm, Filmgruppe –84, Filmeffekt and Filmkameratene. A permanent secretariat was established as a link between the two organizations. In 1986 they agreed to merge the two into one joint organization, the Norwegian Film and Video Producers’ Association – Produsentforeningen.
The association hired a general manager, and one of their primary tasks was to negotiate wage and framework agreements for their business sector. The association quickly asserted itself and gained a strong position within Norwegian culture and media. In 1994 the independent TV producers joined as well, and two years later the association changed its name to the Norwegian Film and TV Producers’ Association.
Produsentforeningen today works for producers both nationally and internationally. 80 companies are members, and the secretariat has 2 full-time employees. Norway is unique, compared to the other Nordic countries and Europe, in having managed to gather the producers of feature films, TV programs, documentaries, shorts, commissioned films and commercial films in one organization.