Swedish Film Institute

The Swedish Film Institute (Svenska Filminstitutet, or SFI), like the Swedish Film Academy, has its origins in the Swedish Film Society (Svenska Filmsamfundet), which was established in October 1933. The society created a film museum, which would contain archival material of all kinds. In 1938 the film archives were given a home at the National Museum of Science and Technology (Tekniska museet) in Stockholm.

In 1940, the society's collections gained independent status, and were renamed the Film Historic Collections (Filmhistoriska samlingarna), but continued to be held at the museum, and became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives in 1946.

The Swedish Film Institute was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry, founded by film critic and businessman Harry Schein (1924-2006), who also became its first CEO. Schein and the Minister of Finance, Gunnar Sträng, were the architects of the Film Reform at this time. The government and film industry signed an agreement that exempted cinemas from entertainment tax, in return for a ten percent levy on ticket sales, which would be paid to the SFI. The SFI could then use that for further funding of new films, as well as for maintaining the archives.

On 16 March 1964, the Film Historic Collections were donated to the institute, becoming the Film Archive of the Swedish Film Institute. Also in 1964, the Film School (Filmskolan) was opened.

In 1967, the Swedish Film Academy (Svenska Filmakademin), with Gösta Werner as first president, grew out of the Film Society.

From the late 1960s until 1993, the institute produced films, and there was a film school run by the institute. In 1970, the film school became an independent body, the University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre (Dramatiska institutet). The institute stopped producing films in 1993, and a film commissioner system was introduced.

In 2016, the institute restarted theatrical distribution, enabling cinemas in Sweden to screen digitised films from the archive.

Funding and roles

From the beginning, the activities and funding of the institute were regulated by the Film Agreement with the Government of Sweden. This was renegotiated at approximately 5-year intervals until 2016. In 1973 the government gave direct grants to the institute. In 1982 the video industry joined the agreement, followed by Sveriges Television and Nordisk Television (now TV4) in 1992. In 1998, the video industry left the agreement; in 2006 the remaining Swedish television companies joined. From 1 January 2017 the Swedish Film Institute has been solely financed by state funding. Prior to 2017, SFI was co-financed by the government as well as others in the film industry, per the Film Agreement. New legislation was introduced from 1 January 2017 determining film policy and putting the government in charge of all regulation and financing of the film industry. The aims, goals and financing however remained "more or less the same".