The Norwegian Film Fund has for the first time subsidized the development of computer games, allocating about $200,000 to Funcom's "Dream Fall" and $100,000 to Minimedia's "The Kids on the Block."
"Having also started to support television productions, we are now the full-service operation the government wanted us to be," said Stein Slyngstad, managing director of the Norwegian Film Fund.
With an annual budget of $36 million, the fund chips in for 18-20 features. Slyngstad expects 90% of its funding will continue to benefit feature production.
"Dream Fall" is a follow-up to Norway's biggest computer game success, "The Longest Journey," made for PCs, Sony PlayStation and the Web. "Kids on the Block" is a new CD-ROM concept for kids.
The Norwegian Film Fund also contributed about $900,000 to "The Gang," a television series from Maipo Film & TV Produksjon to be directed by Gunnar Vikene ("Falling Sky"). Series follows five young men who, a decade after their first meeting, have reached the tragic end to their criminal careers.
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