Available via license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
DOI: 10.4324/9781003293347-13
This chapter has been made available under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
Introduction
The creative industries receive increased attention – including in peripheral areas –
as municipalities, investors, and people who work in these industries hope that it will
boost their region.
(Sand 2020)
Many regions, municipalities, cities, and towns are working strategically to dene
their own place brands. In this process, lm and TV productions can be a powerful
tool and resource (Nordström 2018; Lind 2019). Film and television productions
are mobile and often produced in places where the economic and production con-
ditions are to their best advantage. If these productions become associated with
the place and are exposed to an international audience, this can sometimes trans-
late to extensive marketing values for the location or region in question (Lind and
Kristensson Uggla 2019).
This chapter aims to discuss how lm productions, and especially Indian lm
productions, are used, can be used, and could be used as a tool in regional develop-
ment in European rural areas in general and in Nordic and Finnish rural areas in
particular. Which lessons could be learned from previous productions and what are
the potential benets and challenges when attracting lm productions to a remote
region in Northern Europe?
Given the low number of Indian lm productions made in the Nordic coun-
tries so far, zooming in on Indian lm productions in Finland specically has its
challenges as a research eld.
That said, the topic of regional development through the lens of the interna-
tional lm industry touches on issues of periphery and centre (Dahlström 2005;
Sand 2020; Chow and Sand 2020), the balancing act of commercial and artistic
objectives (Miles and Paddison 2005; Florida 2002; Sacco et al. 2008), as well
as the connection between regional development, place branding, and narrative
capital (Lind 2019; Lind and Kristensson Uggla 2019).
The report Film and Regional Development – Policy and Practice in the Nor-
dic Countries (Dahlström 2005) discusses how regional lm projects can have
10 Film productions as a part of the
regional identity in rural areas –
the case of the Nordic countries
Therese Sunngren-Granlund
180 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
favourable eects on employment, education and training, regional identity, and
place branding. According to Dahlström, it is important to keep in mind that out-
comes from regional investments in lm productions often take time to manifest
and that some results are indirect, meaning that estimating the wider impact of lm
productions on regional development and identity, as well as how it aects employ-
ment and turnover, can sometimes be challenging.
Culture-led local and regional development has gained attention globally dur-
ing the past few decades, and there are both failures and success stories that can
be used to understand culture’s ability to create social and economic value (Miles
and Paddison 2005). Furthermore, economist Pier Luigi Sacco draws attention not
only to the size of the creative industries but also to the importance of cultural
involvement, which he believes to be crucial for the exchange of ideas between
dierent sectors (Sacco et al. 2008). The connection between cultural participation
and innovation also implies that narratives connected to the place are of importance
to the local population as well as to the hospitality industry (Lind and Kristensson
Uggla 2019).
Methodological remarks
This chapter is based on an analysis of lm policy documents in Finland, Sweden,
Norway, Denmark, and Iceland (2020–2022), as well as on ten in-depth inter-
views conducted between 2020 and 2021 with Finnish stakeholders working in the
lm industry. The policy documents were all accessed online through the ocial
websites of the respective country’s national and regional lm commissions.
The policy documents, such as “Finland Film Commissions Production
Guide”, “Film in Iceland – Filming in Iceland”, “Norwegian Film Commission –
Funding & Partners”, “CPH Film Fund – How to Get Funding”, and “Nordic Film
Commissions – Our Shared Ambition” contain, among other things, information
about national incentives and tax rebates, which productions are eligible for sup-
port, how to apply for incentives, and the size of incentives in terms of percentages
or sums. The policy documents and websites also provide facts about locations,
scenery, daylight, and weather conditions. There are also details about local service
companies, salaries, working hours as well as which permits and documents are
needed and when (shooting, working, and visas).
The interviews were part of an international project studying the connections
between Indian lm industries and European locations with the objective to com-
prehend the socio-cultural and economic eects of Indian lm productions in
Europe. The study’s key research question was: Does Finland attract the Indian
lm industry, and how? The interview guide covered topics including methods
for attracting international lm productions, collaboration between dierent stake-
holder, and infrastructural and organisational arrangements. All the interviews
were held in English and conducted online via Teams or Zoom. Each interview
was approximately 45 minutes to an hour long. Professionals from the Finnish lm
industry, such as producers, cinematographers, art directors, location scouts, and
technical crew, as well as regional lm commissions were among the respondents,
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 181
and they were mainly reached through professional websites and networks. None
of the interviewees were of Indian origin. This means that the scene is set in a Finn-
ish context. Nevertheless, similarities are probably to be found in the other Nordic
countries as well as in other rural areas in Europe.
Rural areas, regional identity, and the creative industries
In Finland, 89% of the country’s territory is considered predominantly rural
(OECD 2008) and according to the Finnish Environment institute (SYKE 2020),
about 72% of the population reside in the urban areas of the country, which means
that 28% live in rural areas. Putting these numbers in a European context, the cor-
responding numbers are that around 20% of the population lives in predominantly
rural regions, and that rural regions make up approximately half of the continent
(European commission 2021). These gures show that in Finland, both the territory
considered as predominantly rural and the number of people living in such areas is
higher than in the rest of Europe.
According to the Finnish geographer Anssi Paasi (2011), a region’s identity is
developed by the acts of its citizens, while at the same time the actions of the
people of that region are inuenced by larger-scale entities, such as the state
and the global system. As a result, regional identity is a dynamic process that is
simultaneously produced, practised, and impacted by the local populace and larger
entities, continuously.
Regardless of whether the region is considered rural or urban, all places have a
brand, whether it is in print or not. A place brand is the sum of the associations that
exist around the place, for residents and for the outside world (Nordström 2018).
Today many regions, municipalities, cities, and towns are working strategically to
dene their own place brands, with the aim of attracting new residents, visitors and
business establishments (Logar 2022). In this process, lm and TV productions can
be a powerful tool and resource (Nordström 2018; Lind 2019).
Film is a multi-faceted eld which, in addition to direct values from production
and consumption, contributes to inspiration, identity creation and lifting places and
regions. The medium’s main strength lies in its narrative format, which creates and
conveys representations of our world, and where certain lms aects us personally
while others have an inuence on a collective level (Lind 2019). Film production
can also create powerful synergies between dierent competences and industry
areas and enable exchange of experience and collaborations. Economist Pierre
Luigi Sacco points out how the creative industries, including lm, strengthens
and develops innovation, welfare, sustainable development, social cohesion, and
learning (Sacco 2011).
Film and television productions are mobile and are often produced in places
where the economic and productions conditions are to their best advantage.
When trying to attract lm productions to a place, eective marketing of the
location’s qualities is of great importance. If these productions are associated
with the place and exposed to an international audience, it can mean exten-
sive marketing values, while also strengthening the location’s self-image and
182 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
identity for those who live there – so-called secondary values (Lind and Kris-
tensson Uggla 2019).
Research by Pier Luigi Sacco (2011) and Richard Florida (2002) has contrib-
uted to a new and revitalised view of the creative industries’ value creation and
contribution to places, cities, and regions. According to Florida, the development
of the creative class is important in order to develop both creativity and innovation
in a region (Florida 2002). Sacco, on the other hand, talks about Culture 3.0, stat-
ing that the creative industries’ contribution to society cannot be reduced to direct
and short-term eects alone. Typical of research on creative clusters placed outside
urban centres, including those related to the lm industry, is that it often focuses
on how the creative industries impact and develop their geographical locations
from a regional development perspective (Hedling 2012). More unusual is to turn
the question around, that is, how does the fact that the place is peripheral aect the
creative cluster (Sand 2020).
However, previous research shows that lm industry clusters tend to form in
a “natural” way (Medel and Gossel 2015), meaning that most of the world’s lm
industry clusters have congregated in highly populated regions, where urban amen-
ities are easily accessible. Since the production system within the lm industry is
mainly project based, being close to actors participating in the production process
is a strong incentive for businesses and creative individuals to stay near each other
(Rosenfeld and Hornych 2010).
On the other hand, in more remote regions with a scattered populace, develop-
ing a strong and sustainable lm milieu is often a great challenge (Sand 2017).
Therefore, trying to impact the emergence of these types of structures or clusters in
peripheral and/or not so densely populated regions through external inuences can
be demanding, for reasons such as poor production volume, brain drain, and lack
of resources in the form of sucient critical mass.
Film funding and regional development in a Nordic context
Initiated by the country council of western Sweden, the rst regional lm fund
in the Nordic countries, Film i Väst, was founded in Trollhättan, 1992. The main
objective of Film i Väst was to promote professional lm and media production in
order to revitalise the region, which was struggling after economic crisis, industrial
decline, and growing unemployment (Hedling 2012). Since the beginning, Film
i Väst, or “Trollywood”, has had remarkable success with attracting numerous
international actors and directors. Unlike regional lm funds in the other Nordic
countries, Film i Väst changed the geography of lm production in Sweden. How-
ever, during the 1990s, lm production in Sweden decentralised into three regions:
Filmpool Nord in the north, Film i Skåne in the south, and Film i Väst in western
Sweden (Dahlström and Hermelin 2007). Stockholm, the capital, did not get its
own regional lm fund until 2007 (Sand 2020).
In 1999, the Northern Film and Media Foundation (POEM), an audiovisual pro-
duction resource centre, was established in northern Finland. The aim of POEM was
to develop and promote the lm industry in Northern Finland (Lähteenmäki-Smith
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 183
2005; Sand 2020). Some years later, POEM’s project portfolio was merged with
that of BusinessOulu. Today the Finnish lm commission operates as the rst point
of contact for all international inquiries about lming in Finland, utilising produc-
tion resources and services and obtaining funding. The Finnish lm commission
consists of a consortium of seven regional lm commissions located across the
country: Finnish Lapland Film Commission, North Finland Film Commission,
East Finland Film Commission, Southeast Finland Film Commission, West Finland
Film Commission, Film Tampere, and Åland Film Commission (Film in Finland
2022). Using joint resources, the regional lm commissions are pooled together to
promote Finland as a single international location for lm production (Janta 2021).
Inspired by their Nordic neighbours, local investors and public authorities estab-
lished Norway’s rst regional fund, Film 3 in Lillehammer in 2001. At the time,
the lm industry in the region was more or less non-existent, and the intention of
Film 3 was to increase the creative development of the region (Sand 2017, 2020).
Today, the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) operates as the main lm nancing
body in Norway. NFI collaborates with the Norwegian Film Commission and the
four regional lm commissions, as well with the ve regional lm funds (Norwe-
gian Film Commission 2022).
In Denmark, Den Vestdanske Filmpulje, DVF, was founded in 2002 in Aarhus.
Like the regional lm funds in the neighbouring Nordic countries, the intention
here was also to strengthen the local lm industry (Sand 2020). DVF has since been
joined by two more Danish regional lm funds: Copenhagen Film Fund and Film-
Fyn. Today the regional lm funds collaborate with The Danish Film Institute –
DFI, Denmark’s national agency for lm and cinema culture, as well as with the
regional lm commissions in Denmark (Det Danske Filminstitut 2022; Ol 2022).
In comparison with the other Nordic countries, Iceland is a bit of an exception.
Because of the country’s size, lm production in Iceland is not concentrated to any
specic region (Skúladóttir 2005; Sand 2020). Iceland, however, has oered a tax
rebate since 1999. Today the tax incentive is 25%, and in some cases even up to
a 35% refund on production costs (Film in Iceland 2022). Other Nordic countries
oering national, government-funded lm and television production incentives are
Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The latter oering an incentive of a 25% cash rebate
on local spending, with a possibility to increase the total incentive by combining it
with regional funding (Northern Norway Film Commission 2022).
In Finland, the national lm production incentive is administrated by Business
Finland (Business Finland is a Finnish public-sector company promoting tourism
and international investment in Finland), while also providing services for inter-
nationalisation and funding of innovative projects, with a maximum of 25% cash
rebate of production costs (Business Finland 2022). Combined with regional incen-
tives, it is possible to get up to a 40% cash rebate when lming in Finland (Film in
Finland 2022). In Sweden, Film i Väst launched a regional production tax-rebate
programme in 2019 (Economou 2019), and in August 2022, the Swedish govern-
ment announced that they will set aside SEK 100 million yearly in lm production
incentives (Kazinik 2022). Denmark in 2022 still did not oer any government
funded lm and television lming incentives. However, several regional lm funds
184 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
are oering dierent incentives; the conditions for eligibility may vary between
regions though (Fixer in Denmark 2022; CPH Film Fund 2022).
A challenge shared by all the Nordic countries at the time of starting to establish
regional lm funds was that they were all struggling with retaining their creative
talents, who tended to move to larger creative metropoles for more job opportuni-
ties (Chow and Sand 2020).
Strategies for attracting international lm productions to Finland
In this part, the results of the interviews with stakeholders from the Finnish lm
industry are discussed. Thematically, the section covers strategies for attracting
lm productions to Finland and identifying pull factors, discusses Indian lm pro-
ductions shot in Finland – experiences and lessons learned – and nally suggests
potential opportunities for regional niches. These are discussed in detail later.
The interview ndings reveal that one of the main reasons for international lm-
makers to come to Finland corresponds to the common notion of the nation as an
Arctic landscape covered with snow, as seen in both the Indian lm productions
War (2019) and Shamitabh (2015).
However, other locations, seasons, and weather conditions are equally promi-
nent, and Finland can oer a variety of scenery and settings from the archipelago in
the south, through the picturesque historical wooden towns and modern cityscapes,
to the lake lands and the endless forests with midnight sun and northern lights.
Finland is often presented as a new and uncharted location for lm productions,
and nding unique locations that haven’t been used in other lm productions is
therefore often not a problem. As one respondent states:
I would say that the main things that the foreign companies are looking for
are the locations. So, if you’re looking for snow, that’s denitely an advan-
tage for Finland. Especially now with the climate change, you get less and
less snow in central Europe. So, some of those productions are now moving
up to Scandinavian areas. So obviously the nature and locations are one
[advantage].
(R3)
Compared to the neighbouring countries, primarily the Nordics and Baltic states
but also to some extent Russia, another important competitive advantage for Fin-
land is the well-developed infrastructure. Even more remote locations are easily
reachable by road, and even in the wilderness, mobile phone coverage and Internet
connectivity are usually not an issue. Finland also has ve international airports
with Helsinki-Vantaa airport serving as an international hub, being the gateway for
Asia to the rest of Europe. One respondent also mentions accessibility and good
infrastructure as a possible competitive advantage:
[What] we have is accessibility, and very good infrastructure. So Finnish
Lapland, because of the longstanding tourism and even before that, because
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 185
of the logging industry, so we have like, roads going everywhere, and then
we have hotels, so accommodation, and everything is working well, and air-
ports. So, you can get to these wilderness landscapes easily. And then you
still have a hotel on the other side of the road. So, I think those are the things
that kind of make us, sort of, compete.
(R6)
Several respondents also emphasised the value of punctuality in the lm industry
and the fact that the high quality of Finnish work is an important selling point
internationally. This can be compared to Switzerland, which is a well-known
destination in Bollywood cinema, continuously attracting lmmakers because of,
among other things, its excellent infrastructure (see Chapter 7).
I would also think that one key selling point is the Finnish quality of
work. Finns are reliable in the productions, and what we say usually
means that the thing is being delivered on time, in budget. And so the
production budgets tend to be slightly less in Finland than elsewhere in
the Nordic area.
(R3)
Another important key aspect of lm production in Finland, often brought up by
the respondents, is the low level of bureaucracy. On publicly held land, which
makes up a large portion of Finland’s surface area, permits are often not required
due to a national law known as “Everyman’s Right”. If a permit is required, the
process is typically quite fast and simple, with the local regional lm commission
or the Finnish production company being able to handle the permits in just a short
period of time.
However, several of the respondents emphasised that none of the previously
mentioned pull factors individually constitutes a sales advantage when promoting
Finland as a lming location. It is rather the sum of all the factors, that is, the com-
bination of locations, incentives, logistics professional and creative local crews that
determines whether an international lm production chooses Finland as a lming
location or not.
Indian lm productions in Finland
In Finland, there has so far been two Indian lm productions. Shamitabh (2015),
directed by R. Balki, was partly shot in several locations in Helsinki and in Finnish
Lapland, and Wa r (2019), directed by Siddhart Anand, which was partly shot in
locations close to the Arctic Circle and the city of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland
(see Chapter 3).
Shamitabh is the rst Indian lm shot in Finland. The opening weekend gross
in India was EURO 2.7 million which proved the lm to be a box oce success
(Snapper Films 2015). According to the Finnish Lapland Film Commission, the
lm War is the largest lm production so far to have been shot in Finnish Lapland
186 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
(Lapland. 2019). In India, Wa r was also the highest-grossing Bollywood action
lm in 2019 (Bollywood Hungama 2022).
Even though the Indian lm industry is one of the largest in the world (Josiam
2014), the in-depth interviews showed that there are no specic strategies or meas-
ures to attract Indian lm productions to Finland. Several of the respondents said
that it is rather the other way around: Indian cinema has already for decades been
interested in shooting abroad and therefore Indian productions are often the ones
taking the rst step into a collaboration. None of the respondents has any explana-
tion as to why there have not been more Indian lm productions in Finland, but the
lack of active marketing towards Indian lm productions and the lack of networks
within the Indian lm industry are probably part of the reason. However, according
to the interviewees there is both potential for and interest in further collaboration
with Indian lm producers from the Finnish side.
Experiences and lessons learned from the Indian lm productions
The rst-hand experiences from both the Indian lm productions are gener-
ally perceived as positive by the respondents, although some dierences in
the production culture were often brought up by the interviewees. The dis-
parities, however, were more often referred to as nds, rather than as negative
dierences.
One distinguishing factor often mentioned was the dierence in the range of
responsibilities in relation to the size of the crew, where the Finnish crews usually
were smaller and had more comprehensive tasks, while the Indian crew members
occasionally had very limited specialisations or ambiguous job descriptions. This
was also pointed out by two of the interviewees working on set:
The dierence come; I would say mostly because of the crew sizes. In India
it’s 400 people crew. In Finland we seldom have over 40.
(R4)
Yeah, the crew was massive even though it was like a mini unit. . . I don’t
remember how many people. But the people who was own to the mountain-
side was like 52 people or something.
(R9)
Another cultural dierence on set which was often mentioned by the respondents
was the Indian crew’s ability to adapt to a new situation if required or given the
opportunity. The interviewees often described it as a way of working that was new
for them and sometimes time-consuming, but on the other hand also stress-free and
creative. Several of the respondents also highlighted that they learned a lot from the
Indian lm crew during shooting:
That’s more like a cultural dierence, also, between Scandinavia
and India, is that they have more time. Like we, here, tend to prepare
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 187
really well, but then shoot really fast . . . in Indian productions, they
have more days to accomplish the same thing, so it allows people
to also, you know, plan on the set. Like we go to a location that they
have chosen, or that we have chosen together, and then basically we
start from zero on that day, that kind of OK, this is what we will do
today, and this is the plan . . . and denitely there is more time to do
the things that are needed. So, both ways are really good, and I think
the most special thing I experienced, I’ve never experienced in my life
in any other lm cultures: they are totally ne with changing plans . . .
and that was the most signicant thing that I love to work with Indian
productions, it’s that it’s very laid back, because of this attitude.
(R5)
I think we learned a lot from the Indians, they are so . . . they have been
shooting all over the world and they are really really experienced people.
And really good in what they do.
(R4)
Finally, the importance of serving qualitative Indian food on set was also some-
thing that often was commented on, however it was commonly accepted that the
importance of food quality was just another factor that needed to be taken care of.
The prevailing notion was that if the catering didn’t meet high standards, neither
the Indians nor the Finns on set would be happy. One of the respondents recalls
tasting the food at the recce, which is something that is not usually done:
When they went to do the recce, they wanted to taste the food on the premises.
So, they made them to cook for them, and they liked, they loved it, and then
it was OK. I don’t know if I’d ever tasted the food, if I went on a recce, never
ever, I think.
(R4)
Opportunities for a regional niche
British place marketing expert Simon Anholt believes that a place’s narrative capi-
tal is not forever given and that the established perception and reputation of a place,
region, or country regularly needs to be earned and reinforced. This reinforcement
of the narrative capital of the place can, for example, come from a lm reaching a
wide audience (Lind 2019), which is something that could be desirable for a region
that wants to increase its number of tourists and/or population.
According to the researcher Joakim Lind (2019), the rst step for a region which
in the future wishes to be present on the international lm map is to develop knowl-
edge about the lm industry’s value-creating and consider the lm industry as a
central part of their regional development.
Based on the answers from the interviews, it can also be concluded that all lm
industries do not have similar needs. Meaning, a region or location that wants to
188 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
attract international lm industry or a specic lm genre could, instead of trying
to attract just everyone, nd it benecial to start by focusing on one, and learn as
much as possible about their specic needs, whether that is the Indian lm industry
or any other.
The interviews also revealed that there is close co-operation between the Baltic
states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and the Nordic countries due to the proximity
both geographically and historically, meaning it is possible to think of the entire
Nordic and Baltic region as one production hub where crews and equipment can
move around easily (Janta 2021). For regions wanting to be more present on the
international lm map, networking and collaborating with other already- established
actors and learning from them along the way could be a both a constructive and
quite feasible way to get started.
Conclusions
The purpose of this chapter has been to discuss the potential for using lm produc-
tion as a tool for regional development in a Nordic and European context. What
can be learned from other regions and previous productions, which networks and
infrastructure are needed, and what are the possible advantages and diculties of
luring lm projects to a remote area. The research is based on a review of existing
lm policy documents from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, as
well as on the ten in-depth interviews with Finnish lm industry stakeholders that
were conducted during 2020–2021.
The rst regional lm fund was Film i Väst, founded in 1992 in Sweden. Soon
after its funding, Film i Väst inspired the other Nordic countries to establish their
own regional lm funds during the 1990s and early 2000 (Sand 2020). At the time
of starting to establish regional lm funds, a challenge shared by all the Nordic
countries was that they were all struggling with retaining their creative talents, who
tended to move to international creative hubs for more job opportunities (Chow
and Sand 2020). Today, all Nordic countries have regional and national lm funds,
and all, except Denmark, oer government-funded lm and television lming
incentives.
According to the ndings from interviews with stakeholders in the Finnish lm
industry conducted as part of the FilmInd project, an Arctic landscape covered
in snow, as depicted in both Indian lm productions War (2019) and Shamitabh
(2015), is one of the primary draws for foreign lmmakers to come to Finland.
Other important pull factors are the well-developed infrastructure, with ve inter-
national airports, roads across the country and national mobile phone coverage not
being an issue even in more remote locations. In addition to this, the low level of
bureaucracy and the Finnish quality of work were factors often mentioned as posi-
tive aspects by the Finnish respondents themselves.
It was, however, emphasised among the respondents that none of the previously
identied pull factors individually constitute sales advantages, when promoting
Finland as a lming location. It is often the sum of all these aspects, that is, the
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 189
combination of locations, incentives, logistics, professional and creative local crew
that determines whether an international lm production chooses Finland as a lm-
ing location or not.
Even though India has one of the largest lm industries in the world (Josiam
2014), the in-depth interviews revealed that no special tactics or actions have been
taken to draw Indian lm productions to Finland. One reply even saying that it is
rather the other way around, with Indian lm already having a long history of inter-
est in shooting overseas and frequently being the ones to initiate a collaboration.
However, it is clear from the experiences of the two Indian lm productions that
were held in Finland that there is interest on the part of the Finnish side in increas-
ing the collaboration with the Indian lm industry.
A region’s rst step towards being visible on the global lm map is to learn
about the value that the lm industry creates. Viewing lm as a key component of
their regional economy could be an important rst step towards becoming more
“visible” on the international lm map (Lind 2019). Second, it is important to
identify unique local and regional strengths in order to be able to market them
eectively.
The interview responses made it evident that dierent lm industries possess
distinct requirements. This implies that if a particular region or location aims to
attract the global lm industry, it may be more advantageous for them to initially
focus on a specic lm industry or genre and gain extensive knowledge about its
specic needs. This applies to the Indian lm industry as well as any other lm or
creative industry.
Limitations and future research
It should be noted that no Indian respondents were included among the interview-
ees. The reason for this is that during the time the interviews were conducted, it
was not possible to reach any Indian stakeholders who were involved in the lm
productions shot in Finland. Although this is acknowledged as a limitation, it is
also a possible future research step.
In line with the increased interest in northern Europe as a lming location
(Lunde 2022), the number of Indian lm productions is also expected to increase,
which makes it likely that there will be additional opportunities to both broaden
and deepen this research in the future.
Acknowledgement
FilmInd project – The Indian lm industry as a driver of new socio-economic
connections was carried out within EU-India Platform for Social Sciences and
Humanities and nanced by national funding of the participating countries. Novia
University of Applied Sciences acknowledges funding from the Academy of
Finland. The author would also like to thank the interviewees from Finland for
their kind cooperation in the research.
190 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
References
Bollywood Hungama, 2022. Bollywood top grossers worldwide 2019. Available from:
www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-oce-collections/worldwide/2019/ (access date
11.09.2022).
Business Finland, 2022. Production incentive for the audiovisual industry. Available from:
www.businessnland./en/for-nnish-customers/services/funding/cash-rebate (access
date 29.08.2022).
Chow, P.-S. and Sand, S. A., 2020. Regional screen ecosystems at the peripheries: Produc-
tion and talent development in Tromsø and Aarhus. Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, 10
(2), 169–189.
CPH Film Fund, 2022. How to get funding. Available from: http://cphlmfund.com/en/
(access date 29.08.2022).
Dahlström, M., 2005. Film och regional utveckling i Norden. In: M. Dahlström, H. Bjarna-
dóttir, B. Hermelin, J. Jörgensen, K. Lähteenmäki-Smith, G. Rusten, M. G. Skúladóttir
and E. Wengström, eds., Film och regional utveckling i Norden. Stockholm: Svenska
lminstitutet & Nordregio, 7–11.
Dahlström, M. and Hermelin, B., 2007. Creative industries, spatiality and exibility: The
example of lm production. Norsk Geogrask Tidskrift – Norwegian Journal of Geogra-
phy, 61 (3), 111–121.
Det Danske Filminstitut, 2022. Funding. Available from: www.d.dk/en/english/funding
(access date 30.08.2022).
Economou, V., 2019. Film i Väst launches the rst Swedish tax-rebate scheme. Available
from: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/369384/ (access date 30.08.2022).
European commission, 2021. Rural development. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/
regional_policy/en/policy/themes/rural-development/ (access date 11.07.2022).
Film in Finland, 2022. Finland lm commission production guide. Available from: www.
filminfinland.com/4a2e59/siteassets/finland-film-commission-production-guide.pdf
(access date 01.09.2022).
Film in Iceland, 2022. Up to 35% reimbursement, stunning nature and professional ser-
vices. Available from: https://lminiceland.com/incentives-to-lm-in-iceland/ (access
date 01.09.2022).
Fixer in Denmark, 2022. Filming in Denmark. Available from: https://xerdenmark.com/
lming-in-denmark/ (access date 02.09.2022).
Florida, R., 2002. The rise of the creative class. New York: Basic Books.
Hedling, O., 2012. Making lms in Scandinavia: On work and production infrastructure in the
contemporary regional sector. In: A. Dawson and S. Holmes, eds., Working in the global lm
industries: Creativity, systems, space, patronage. London: Bloomsbury Academics, 57–74.
Janta, H., ed., 2021. Comparative report on the infrastructure of lm production & the
impact of Indian lm industries on place. Basel: University of Basel.
Josiam, B. M., Spears, D., Dutta, K., Pookulangara, S. A. and Kinley, T. L., 2014. ‘Namastey
London’: Bollywood movies and their impact on how Indians perceive European destina-
tions. Hospitality Review, 31 (4).
Kazinik, D., 2022. Klart: Nu blir det billigare att spela in lm i Sverige. SVT Nyheter/Kultur.
Available from: www.svt.se/kultur/lmbranschen-far-100-miljoner-i-produktionsrabatter-
stod-lmstod-svensk-lm-bidrag-kulturministern (access date 01.09.2022).
Lähteenmäki-Smith, K., 2005. The regional dimension of the lm sector in Finland. In: M.
Dahlström, H. Bjarnadóttir, B. Hermelin, J. Jörgensen, K. Lähteenmäki-Smith, G. Rusten,
Film productions as a part of the regional identity 191
M. G. Skúladóttir and E. Wengström, eds., Film och regional utveckling i Norden. Stock-
holm: Svenska lminstitutet & Nordregio, 178–195.
Lapland.., 2019. War – Bollywood blockbuster in Lapland. Available from: www.lapland.
/lm/for-productions/war-bollywood-action-movie-lapland/ (access date 12.08.2022).
Lind, J., 2019. The impact of lm on people and destinations: En rapport om värden
av lm och tv för utveckling av platser och regioner med fallstudie av japanskt Taiga
Drama i Stockholm 2019. Analysmodell och vägledning vid internationella lm-
produktioner. En rapport inom pilotstudie #11 i Smart Kreativ Stad. Stockholm: Film
Capital.
Lind, J. and Kristensson Uggla, B., 2019. The narrative capital of the place. How the
millennium narratives generate place-related values and attract tourists to Sweden. In: C.
Lundberg and V. Ziakas, eds., The Routledge handbook of popular culture and tourism.
London: Routledge, 311–324.
Logar, E., 2022. Place branding as an approach to the development of rural areas: A case study
of the brand ‘Babica in Dedek’ from the Škofja Loka Hills, Slovenia. Acta Geographica
Slovenica, 62 (2), 119–133.
Lunde, A. F., 2022. Bollywood til Balestrand: Landskap skal ha same x-faktor som stjernene.
Morgenbladet. Available from: www.morgenbladet.no/kultur/reportasje/2022/10/07/
fra-bollywood-til-balestrand/?fbclid=IwAR3K4MBB9Dcf8BnVh4s6FEViOqMeQ2y1Q
WkmS3q3CGxjicvOJY3s4zxx-x0 (access date 09.10.2022).
Medel, A. and Gossel, B., 2015. Film industry clusters: A strategy for urban and regional
development? Austral Communicación, 4 (1), 65–81.
Miles, S. and Paddison, R., 2005. The rise and rise of culture-led urban regeneration. Urban
Studies, 42, 833–839.
Nordström, H., 2018. Platsmarknadsföring: Konsten att attrahera invånare, besökare och
investeringar till en plats. Huskvarna: Placebrander.
Northern Norway Film Commission, 2022. Incentives – Northern Norway lm commission.
Available from: www.northernnorwaylm.no/incentives (access date 01.09.2022).
Norwegian Film Commission, 2022. Funding & partners. Available from: www.
norwegianlm.com/funds (access date 01.09.2022).
OECD, 2008. OECD rural policy reviews: Finland. Available from: www.oecd.org/nland/
oecdruralpolicyreviewsnland.htm (access date 09.08.2022).
Ol, 2022. Film funding in Denmark on Ol. Available from: www.ol.com/country/
Film-Funding-Cinema-Denmark-16.html (access date 30.08.2022).
Paasi, R., 2011. The region, identity, and power. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences,
14, 9–16.
Rosenfeld, M. W. and Hornych, C., 2010. Could cities in de-industrialized regions become
hot spots for attracting cultural businesses? The case of media industry in Halle and der
Saale (Germany). European Planning Studies, 11 (5), 371–384.
Sacco, P., 2011. Culture 3.0: A new perspective for the EU-2014–2020. Structural funds
programming, produced for the OMC working group on cultural and creative industries.
Brussels: European Expert Network on Culture.
Sacco, P., Ferilli, G. and Pedrini, S., 2008. System-wide cultural districts: An introduction
from the Italian viewpoint. In: S. Kagan and V. Kirchberg, eds., Sustainability: A new
frontier for the arts and cultures. Frankfurt: VAS Verlag, 400–460.
Sand, S. A., 2017. Voices from the peripheries: A study of the regional lm and television
business in Norway. Ph.D. Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Trondheim.
192 Therese Sunngren-Granlund
Sand, S. A., 2020. Creative clusters – urban Utopia or regional remedy? A Nordic perspec-
tive on the role of the creative industries in regional development. Nordic Journal of
Media Studies, 2 (1), 109–120.
Snapper Films, 2015. Bollywood lm Shamitabh partly shot in Finland released worldwide.
Available from: https://snapperlms.com/bollywood-lm-shamitabh-shot-partly-in-n-
land-released-worldwide/ (access date 11.08.2022).
Skúladóttir, M. G., 2005. Iceland a national player in a global market. In: M. Dahlström,
H. Bjarnadóttir, B. Hermelin, J. Jörgensen, K. Lähteenmäki-Smith, G. Rusten, M. G.
Skúladóttir and E. Wengström, eds., Film och regional utveckling i Norden. Stockholm:
Svenska lminstitutet & Nordregio, 178–195.
SYKE, 2020. Updated urban-rural classication: Finland’s degree of urbanisation currently
at over 72 per cent. Available from: www.syke./en-US/Current/Updated_urbanrural_
classication_Finlan(57443) (access date 09.08.2022).
