The Finnish animation producers have been co-operating under the banner of Finnanimation since 2005. It started out as a group of producers who attended the MIFA market in Annecy. They discovered that they could share some of the costs and help each other with all the hassles involved in putting on a successful market presence.
From picnics to presidential visits
The first year saw a great picnic party next to the market area and lots of new connections benefitting all involved. Since then Finnanimation has not only grown in members, but has published an annual tabloid showcasing it’s member’s productions, been featured in Animation Magazine, organised a presidential visit to country’s top animation studios and lobbied the government agencies for more support for animation and the audiovisual sector as a whole.
I’ve been involved in Finnanimation since autumn 2005 and for me the emphasis on co-operation and the genuine desire for your colleagues to do well is hugely inspiring. There have been numerous instances, when somebody has been wondering aloud how helpful the Finnanimation people are towards one another. As I don’t have experiences from other audiovisual sectors this came to me as a surprise – why would anyone NOT want to work together to put up a good international presence?
Furthering a common goal
Of course producers also compete for some national resources, like production financing from support schemes or TV pre-sales. But the point is, unlike other forms of audiovisual entertainment, animation is a “born global” industry and there is little point in competing with one another on a national level. Instead everyone is embracing co-operation as a means of furthering a bigger goal: The reputation of Finnish animation as a whole.
For it is common sense, that when one project or company from a country does well, it instantly draws attention to the other productions as well. It is not a zero-sum game, but one where you sometimes advance your own goals best by pitching someone else’s production – all known to have happened at the Finnanimation stand.
