Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s theme year 2025 Animation Collaboration launched in Bordeaux 

Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF) has organised theme years since 2021 in order to put a special focus on topics that benefit from pan-Nordic efforts and initiatives. In Bordeaux, NFTVF’s ongoing activities and plans for its 2025 theme year Animation Collaboration were first introduced by CEO Liselott Forsman, after which a discussion followed with animation directors, scriptwriters, art directors, producers, distributors and sales agents from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

“It was a joy to witness the good spirit and the constructive discussion in the room when professionals from various Nordic countries shared their views on which concrete co-work can help keep our Nordic animation industry strong and competitive. After the meeting, many expressed the need for this sort of cross-border meetings. Our good discussions will certainly be continued in smaller and bigger groups,” Forsman said.

Among the themes discussed were fund supported animation collaboration schemes, joint animation marketing efforts, Nordic companies as co-production partners, talent exchanges, educational needs, collaboration with the gaming industry, the planning of a Nordic animation award, and other ways of shedding more light on animation talents.

Since January 2025, NFTVF’s newsletter publishes minimum one article on animation a month. In early 2025 NFTVF decided to support two Nordic networking projects that strengthen the structural collaboration within the region and the international visiblity of the Nordic animation industry. These initiatives also co-ordinate between themselves.

Nordic Animation is a collaboration between the major animation producers in all five Nordic countries. Norwegian producer Tonje Skar Reiersen (Mikrofilm AS) is the driving force behind this pan-Nordic network that presents animation companies from all Nordic countries online at www.nordicanimation.com. During the meeting in Bordeaux, Reiersen described how the network, which started in 2018 as a volunteer effort, now finally, with NFTVF support, can create a solid structure for its pan-Nordic collaboration.

Northern Animation Network (NAN) is a fresh festival collaboration initiative. Its digital platform will showcase the Northern European animation scene globally, hosting, among other things, interviews with artists relevant to the region. The founding festivals behind NAN are Fredrikstad Animation Festival (Norway), Viborg Animation Festival (Denmark), Rex Animation Festival (Sweden) and BLON Animation and Gaming Festival (Lithuania). The initiative is enabled by EU’s Creative Europe programme, and supported by NFTVF.

When a theme year ends, its topics are not forgotten. The 2023 Nordic Green theme year launched a pan-Nordic collaboration plan that resulted in an ecological standard that is currently being developed. Measuring the carbon footprint of animation productions, however, differs from that of live-action and will be especially looked into as part of the ongoing Animation Collaboration year. The 2024 theme year Talent in the Age of AI will also have its animation-focused follow-up in 2025.

A description of Nordic Animation and relevant contact information for co-producing animation in the Nordic region is published in NFTVF’s 2025 guide “Co-Producing with the Nordics” at www.coproducingwiththenordics.com.