POEM

POEM film foundation was founded as a resource centre for film and television production in 1999. The Film commission office for Oulu region was opened in 2000.
*Founding date of the foundation: February/2006.
*Company profile: Private Company/Foundation.
*Founding members: The City of Oulu, the Council of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences
*Location: City of Oulu, North Finland
*Annual budget: 1 M€

Poem is the first regional film fund in Finland. The main target is to develop, finance and promote the industry and culture of moving images. The aim is to establish the city of Oulu as a major regional resource and development centre for film and television production in Finland.

Film and television
Poem provides production support including financial investment. It supports film and television productions that take place in the Northern Scandinavia. Funding programmes are designed for documentaries, TV-productions and feature film productions.

Number of funding programmes
Poem has three funding programmes that are 1) script support, 2) project development and 3) production.

Number of co-productions
Poem co-finances one to two international co-productions per year.

Over 80 productions during last 5 years
During last 5 years Poem has supported over 80 productions. Over 90 % of the productions are produced by companies based in the Northern Finland.

The supportive development program
Poem's strength is its supportive development program. Poem develops close working relationships with filmmakers and other media creatives, and actively guides and supports them in the development process. Poem provides financial support for preliminary research, script development and production development.

The North Finland Screen Commission
The North Finland Film Commission (NFFC) is managed by POEM foundation. NFFC provides producers with a total solution, including assistance in engaging technical crew in the area, locations assistance and financial costings of shooting in the area. The location database includes hundreds of photos of the unique landscapes in the region. Our files also contain information on skilled people - from sound specialists to set decorators - and from grips to carpenters. We have also built a comprehensive network of regional support services including rentals, catering, accommodation and logistics.

Cross-border collaboration in the Northern Scandinavia
Poem actively encourages co-productions and cross-border collaboration and has a strong relationship with regional funds throughout Europe, particularly in the Northern Scandinavia. The three regional funds including POEM in Finland, Filmpool Nord in Sweden and North Norwegian Film Fund, are committed to creating a strong film and media region in Northern Scandinavia, where production companies can thrive and compete internationally.

Guidelines for Co-productions with the POEM film foundation
1. Requirement to be a “Regional” Film. Foreign companies need to have a co-production agreement with a regional production company in the North Finland. POEM will use reasonable endeavours to introduce the Producer to reasonably suitable co-producers resident in North Finland. It is essential that part of the production shoots in Northern Finland. POEM prefers if the production also has cultural links to Northern Finland or Scandinavia.
2. Requirement to have a regional “spend” factor. The basis of these investments is that of a tied loan: for the production of a given work, the beneficiary of the loan undertakes to spend a minimum of 100% of the sum loaned within the North Finland. The following shall be considered as eligible expenses for the purposes of assessment for a POEM loan or investment: all costs incurred and paid in the North Finland for concrete or intellectual goods or audiovisual services, under any employment contract or for professional fees with a person or organisation having at least one operating establishment within the North Finland. The object of this expenditure must be to further the production of the audiovisual work in question. A half of the accommodation expenses are also eligible.
3. Other requirements. POEM reserves the right to assign film and media students from regional schools to work in the productions. Unless specified elsewhere, at least two trainees must be commissioned.
4. What max. amount can you expect for a co-production from your subsidies? POEM invests per year in one to two international feature film co-productions and two to three documentary film co-productions. Average budgets for the productions are from 10.000 euros to 2 million euros. Support from POEM ranges from 5000 - 100.000 euros (5-15 % of the total budget).

POEM has three financing programmes 2006-07:
*Script development scheme
*Development programme
*Production programme. Financing for the co-development is repayable loan and for the co-production equity investment.
 
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Cine-Regio representative - Mrs. Anne Laurila

Anne Laurila is the production consultant in POEM Foundation – the only regional film fund in Finland. In addition, she works as a project manager in EU projects, aiming to strenghten the film business in Northern Scandinavia. She has worked actively to develop the regional audiovisual industry and funding schemes for film since the POEM Foundation started in 2006.
 
Before joining POEM, Anne has worked as producer and CEO in her own production company, mainly with creative documentaries. She has a Bachelor of Culture and Arts degree and she has supplementary courses from Univerisity of Oulu in art history, film studies, international marketing, leadership and finance and economics.
 

Cine-Regio representative - Mr Pasi Pirttiaho

Contact

POEM
PO Box 42
90015 Oulu
Finland

Streetadress:
Kirkkokatu 19A 10
900 100 Oulu
Finland

Tel: +358 44 703 7523
Fax:+358 8 5584 7533
poem@poem.fi
 
www.poem.fi