The Nuuk-based company, is a one-stop shop outfit for production, production services and casting. Its core ambition is to attract foreign financiers and producers, and to boost the burgeoning Greenlandic film-making industry.

Two of Greenland’s most experienced professionals are part the venture: Copenhagen and Nuuk-based Emile Hetling Péronard, producer of Greenland’s first Berlinale-entry Sumé-The Sound of a Revolution, backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and Pipaluk K. Jørgensen, behind Anori (2019), the first Greenlandic feature film directed, written and produced by a woman.

Both executives have been actively involved in Greenland’s film organisation FILM.GL in the last few years and witnessed the surge of interest from the international film community. They then teamed up with former Sagafilm’s executives Kidda Rokk and Steinarr Logi Nesheim who worked on the premium TV drama Thin Ice (Yellow Bird/Sagafilm) as producer and executive producer respectively.

Rokk and Nesheim said: "With Thin Ice, we didn't really have a choice but to carry out most of the shooting in Iceland. But working with Greenlandic actors and filmmakers opened our eyes to the great potential Greenland has, not only in terms of landscapes and locations, but especially Greenlandic talent - and of course the great Greenlandic storytelling traditions that we’re only just now seeing transformed to the screens.”

Polarama Greenland intends to use Iceland’s flexible tax rebate that allows productions to benefit from the 25% reimbursement scheme for scenes partly shot in Greenland, and anticipates the Greenlandic self-rule government to introduce an independent Greenlandic tax rebate.

The company has several projects in its pipeline, including Kalak, the sophomore film by Isabella Eklöf, writer/director of the her acclaimed debut Holiday and writer of Border. The drama produced by Denmark’s Maria Møller Kjeldgaard (Manna Film) will be pitched at Haugesund’s Nordic Co-Production Market (August 18-21).

Also on Polarama Greenland’s upcoming slate is a film by Denmark’s Anders Walter, director of the Oscar-winning short film Helium.

Emile Hertling Péronard about his projects and Greenland’s burgeoning film industry.

Can you tell us about your background?
EHP: I have a Greenlandic mother and Danish father and grew up in Nuuk. I’ve worked mostly in documentary filmmaking in the past and always wanted to build a bridge between Greenland and Europe. I produced the first Greenlandic feature film selected at the Berlinale: Sume-The Sound of a Revolution, about a Greenlandic rock band. It was quite successful and opened my eyes to the concept of Greenlandic cinema reaching the world. Now I want to expand and build on this.

After the Faroe Islands that set up a film institute in 2018 and are now on the global filmmaking map, Greenland seems like the next ‘exotic’ shooting spot for foreign filmmakers…
EHP: Absolutely. We’ve been working closely with the Faroese for many years and followed their process. The first Greenlandic feature film came out in 2009. Ever since, we’ve tried to establish a film community, a proper structure for film financing, distribution, and building international networks, including with indigenous organisations around the world. We’ve been monitoring projects, talking to producers. So far we’ve welcomed mostly documentaries, linked to climate change, but we’ve now seen a change with TV projects like Thin Ice, partly shot in Iceland and Greenland. More projects are trying to do their major principal photography in Greenland.

How many Greenlandic people and companies are actively involved in the audio-visual sector today?
EHP: There are around 50 individuals, and around 20 production companies - single person led mostly - actively involved in the audio-visual sector. They do everything from documentaries, music videos, to short and feature length filmmaking and commercials. We need to be eclectic to survive.

It’s a tiny industry but there is a huge talent pool, and a new wave of talents is emerging. We can now produce one film a year that often attracts festival attention. We want to help the next generation develop its know-how and build a sustainable industry.

What subsidies are in place?
EHP: There is a pot of money of DKK 3m [around €402,000] set aside annually for film production support from the Greenlandic self-ruling government. It’s hardly the cost of a low budget Danish film, therefore it’s always been crucial for us to attract foreign investors. We’re hoping as well that we’ll soon have our own film institute.

Could you expand on the flexibility of Iceland’s tax rebates that is also benefitting filmmaking in Greenland and the possible introduction of a Greenlandic tax rebate?
EHP: Basically in Iceland, if you produce under the Icelandic tax reimbursement scheme, and bring 80% of the budget to Iceland, you can spend the remaining 20% in another EU country. From January 1st 2020, the Faroe Islands and Greenland were added to the scheme.

Regarding the potential Greenlandic tax rebate, Greenland’s Self-Rule government is in favour and examining this possibility, unlike the Danish government that has been reluctant so far to introduce such a scheme.

Could you tell us more about Isabella Eklöf’s project Kala?
EHP: We will act not only as service provider, but also as co-producer and will hopefully bring long term benefit to the Greenlandic production sector.

The film produced by Manna Film in Denmark is based on Danish author Kim Leine’s autobiographical debut novel in which he speaks about his childhood trauma of living in Greenland with an abusive father. Isabella, with her distinctive style, will be perfect to bring this story to the screens. She will use many Greenlandic talents, both behind and in front of the camera. We’re hoping to start filming late fall.

How is the situation with Covid 19 in Greenland?
EHP: We’re pretty much Covid-free, like in Iceland. We’ve had no deaths and only a dozen cases. We’re able to invite foreign crews and are monitoring the situation on a daily basis.