Titina receives Oscar support from the Norwegian Film Institute
For the first time, an animated feature has been granted support for an Academy award campaign by the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI). From 2023, NFI has included animated features in their campaign support scheme, and Kajsa Næss’ award-winning feature debut Titina is the first film to be able to use this opportunity.
With 13 animated features currently in production, the Norwegian animation industry is thriving.
The right time
– We have a strong animation industry in Norway with a considerable number of high-quality animated feature films in production. This is the right time to include animation films in our grants for Oscar campaigns. We believe that Norwegian animated films have a good chance of being nominated in the category Best Animated Feature Film, says Dag Asbjørnsen, head of international relations at the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI).
Goal of one animation every year
Titina producers Tonje Skar Reiersen and Lise Fearnley at Mikrofilm believe that including animation features in the Norwegian Oscar grants is a good investment.
-The goal is to have a Norwegian animated feature in the Oscar race every year. We are learning a lot from the Titina campaign, and we are looking forward to sharing our experiences with our animation colleagues in Norway, producers Tonje Skar Reiersen and Lise Fearnley say.
Won before
Their company Mikrofilm is not new to the award circuit. They have been Oscar-nominated for their short films twice and won Best Animated Short for Torill Kove’s The Danish Poet in 2007.
Qualifying for the grant
To qualify, the animated film must have at least 75% animated content and significant animated main characters. Additional requirements include cinema screenings for at least seven days, and a minimum of three daily screenings in one of the qualifying American cities.
Grants from the Norwegian Film Institute are divided into two stages, with a maximum grant of NOK 400.000 in the first stage towards nomination, and an additional NOK 100.000, providing the film is nominated.