FOCUS talks to Einar Tómasson of Film in Iceland
Iceland is quickly becoming a favourite location amongst high-budget feature films and television shows. Ahead of FOCUS 2017, we spoke to Einar Tómasson of Film in Iceland to ask him about his plans for the event and what attendees can expect from Iceland’s new incentive programme.
Einar, you attended both FOCUS 2015 and 2016. What brings you back this year?
FOCUS is a great place to promote Iceland as a location to the film industry. FOCUS 2015 was good and FOCUS 2016 was even better so I am confident that FOCUS 2017 will be great. The FOCUS team are professional, very qualified and do a fantastic job. I also believe that it is very important to have an event like FOCUS for the European film industry where the film commissions, producers and location managers can meet.
What in particular will you be promoting at FOCUS 2017?
The new 25% incentive that started in January of this year is the highlight. The incentive system in Iceland has been in place since 2001 and proved that it is one of the most simple and effective incentives you will get anywhere in the world. The infrastructure is always improving and this autumn we will open a new large-scale film studio in Reykjavik. Finally, the service companies that have been delivering outstanding work to their international clients as usual.
What was the most common question you got from producers at FOCUS about Iceland as a filming destination?
“Did they really shoot this film in Iceland?” was the main question we received after people saw the list of projects that have been shot here. “What are the incentives?” and “how far is it from London?” also came up a lot.
In a sentence, how would you describe FOCUS to a producer thinking of attending the event for the first time?
It’s the place to be if you are planning to shoot a film or TV project as you’ll meet with professionals who can assist you in getting great locations, inform you about the infrastructure and explain the incentive systems. It will save you a lot of time and money in your research when you have a project ready for filming.
How do you like the FOCUS venue, exhibition layout, organization and facilities?
‘Outstanding’ is the word that pops into my mind. The venue is both beautiful and well organised. Many venues that I have attended in the past are too hot and too crowded but not the Business Design Centre. It’s simply great.
Einar, thank you for your time.
FOCUS 2017 will take place at London’s Business Design Centre, December 5th and 6th. To register your attendance for the event, click here.
Mini bio:
From 1997 until 2003, Einar Tómasson worked at in Sales and Marketing for Coca-Cola in Iceland. Einar later became the Icelandic Film Commissioner in 2004 alongside his job as Manager at Invest in Iceland, which he still serves to this day. His role at the Film Commission was to change a reactive work into proactive marketing and branding of Iceland as a great film location. Einar holds a degree in Business and International Marketing and a Masters in Project Management from the University of Reykjavik. Einar is married and has two daughters.
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