Western Norway Film Fund

What Western Norway Film Fund does

Western Norway Film Fund (Vestnorsk filmsenter) is a non-profit public film and games fund established in 1995 and owned jointly by Bergen Municipality, Vestland County, and Møre og Romsdal County. Headquartered at Kulturhuset USF in Bergen with a satellite office in Ålesund, the organization operates as the sole authorized regional grant-making body for film, documentary, drama series, and game production in Western Norway. With six employees, the fund manages state and regional grants across multiple categories including short films, documentaries, feature films, drama series, co-productions, location scouting, games, young talents, and film culture events, with application processing handled through RegPortal.no.

The fund's revenue model is fundamentally non-commercial: it receives public funding from its three governmental owners and redistributes capital to film and game producers via periodic allocation rounds (three rounds per year), without charging application fees. In the June 2026 round, 3.72 million NOK was allocated across 15 projects from 63 submitted applications. Beyond direct grant disbursement, the fund operates three programmatic arms: the Western Norway Film Commission (promoting the region to international productions and supporting location scouting), BAKOM (a creative production workshop for young talents, established in 2020), and Manusrommet (a script development workshop). The fund also runs capacity-building programs including industry meetings, courses, and market/festival participation grants, and is a member of international networks including CineRegio, AFCI, EUFCN, and FilmReg, which support cross-border co-production and knowledge exchange.

Name

Western Norway Film Fund

Legal name

Western Norway Film Fund AS

Website

https://en.vestnorskfilm.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Western Norway Film Fund is a non-profit, government-owned regional film and games fund that distributes state and regional grants to film, documentary, series, and game producers across Western Norway, while operating a Film Commission, the BAKOM youth talent workshop, and the Manusrommet script development program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Film and Game Funding Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Grant Funding & Public/Nonprofit Financing (MPADAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Co-Production & Treaty Structuring (MPADAAAC)

Keywords

• Film production grants
• Documentary funding
• Game development grants
• Film commission services
• Talent development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Disbursement: As a non-profit film fund, Western Norway Film Fund distributes state and regional grants to film, documentary, and game projects rather than generating revenue. The organization receives funding from Bergen Municipality, Vestland County, and Møre og Romsdal County.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Western Norway Film Fund is a non-profit regional film fund that manages and distributes state and regional grants for the production and development of short films, documentaries, feature films, drama series, and games. Beyond grant administration, it operates the Western Norway Film Commission to attract international productions, runs the BAKOM creative production workshop for young talents, and organizes industry capacity-building programs including the Manusrommet script development workshop.

Product overview

Western Norway Film Fund (Vestnorsk filmsenter) is a non-profit enterprise that manages state and regional grants for film, series, and game production. The organization operates as a regional film fund offering multiple grant programs including Production and Development Funding for short films, documentaries, feature films, drama series, and games. Its subsidiary department, the Film Commission, promotes Western Norway as a filming location and provides location scouting support. BAKOM serves as a creative production workshop for young talents, while Manusrommet provides manuscript development workshops. The fund also organizes capacity building initiatives including industry meetings, courses, and festival participation support. The organization is structured around grant programs (Short Film, Documentary, Feature Films/Drama, Co-Production, Games, Young Talents, Film Culture) complemented by direct production support through the Film Commission and talent development through BAKOM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BAKOM: Creative production workshop for young talents in film and game development
• Western Norway Film Commission

Products and services

• Production and Development Funding State and regional grants for the production and development of short films, documentaries, feature films, drama series, and game development projects tied to Western Norway. Includes funding categories covering short film, documentary, feature films and drama series, co-production, and games.
• Western Norway Film Commission A separate department under the film fund that promotes Western Norway as an attractive filming location, serves as a go-to partner for production companies, and supports inward investment into the regional industry. Has helped attract international productions including Ex Machina, Dune, Mission: Impossible, and Black Widow.
• Location Scouting Support Grants and assistance for location scouting and familiarisation tours for feature films, drama series, and documentaries with production potential in the Western Norway region.
• BAKOM Creative Production Workshop A creative production workshop for young talents looking to make films and games, offering exploration of different fields and genres with free membership, production equipment loans, workstations with software, meeting rooms, editing rooms, computer labs, and screening rooms.
• Manusrommet Script Workshop A manuscript workshop program where screenwriters read each other's scripts, provide feedback, and develop their work through collaborative sessions led by an experienced screenwriter, fostering regional screenwriting talent.
• Capacity Building Programs Industry meetings, courses, competence measures, and grants for regional industry professionals to participate in national and international markets and festivals, including the quarterly Industry Guide (Bransjeguide).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years of supporting regional film and game industry since 1995
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CineRegiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of over 50 regional film funds across Europe. Western Norway Film Fund participates in this network for knowledge exchange and collaboration with other European regional film support organizations.
• AFCIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Film Commissioners International - a network of around 300 film commissions worldwide. Supports the Western Norway Film Commission in promoting the region globally.
• EUFCNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Film Commissions Network - network of around 100 film commissions in Europe. Helps position Western Norway as a filming destination within European film promotion.
• eQuinoxe EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScript workshop with connection to Balestrand in Western Norway. Provides script development opportunities for regional screenwriters.
• FilmRegcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of film centers and film funds in Norway. Coordinates with national film support organizations including NFI (Norsk filminstitutt).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-norway-film-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Norway Film Fund