Greenlandic Frames : Screen Production in and about Greenland
Grønlund, Anders LU
(2023)
- Abstract
- This dissertation is a study of screen production in and about Greenland from a historical and contemporary perspective. In recent decades, an indigenous screen industry has emerged in Greenland that has otherwise been a destination for foreign production for more than a century. This has created an international production environment where foreign production continues to dominate, while Greenlandic film professionals are increasingly involved in these production processes and the production of Greenlandic content is growing. Despite this, there is limited knowledge about film production in and about Greenland. The aim of this dissertation is thus to create qualified insights into this development and the distinctive production... (More)
- This dissertation is a study of screen production in and about Greenland from a historical and contemporary perspective. In recent decades, an indigenous screen industry has emerged in Greenland that has otherwise been a destination for foreign production for more than a century. This has created an international production environment where foreign production continues to dominate, while Greenlandic film professionals are increasingly involved in these production processes and the production of Greenlandic content is growing. Despite this, there is limited knowledge about film production in and about Greenland. The aim of this dissertation is thus to create qualified insights into this development and the distinctive production environment of today. Through a place-based approach, both indigenous and foreign film production in and about Greenland is examined, and how Greenland-based production is characterised by ultrasmall and particular conditions.<br/><br/>The method is rooted in location-focused production studies through three qualitative case studies of the feature films Alanngut Killinganni (Malik Kleist, 2022) and Kalak (Isabella Eklöf, 2023), and the TV series Borgen: Power & Glory (DR/Netflix, 2022) based on interviews, document analysis, and observations. In addition, the first comprehensive Greenlandic screen industry history is presented, including aspects such as transnational collaboration, institution-building, and Greenlandic film policymaking. The dissertation uses a broad theoretical framework including approaches to place and location, industry lifecycles, affective entanglements, and place branding. A major contribution is the development of theoretical frameworks for the study of degrees of participation and ultrasmall screen industries.<br/><br/>Based on the analyses, it is concluded that the Greenlandic screen history is more complex than previously described, both in terms of indigenous production, collaboration, political interest, funding opportunities, and place branding. The case study of Alanngut Killinganni highlights growing Indigenous filmmaking, but also the challenges of limited funding, (too) few film <br/>professionals, multifunctionalism, and distribution opportunities. The Kalak case highlights Danish-Greenlandic co-production and distinct emotional factors that characterise all stages of the production process, while Borgen: Power & Glory emphasises streaming services' interest in Greenland and the Arctic as well as unique location challenges. Among other things, it is concluded that Greenlandic locations are historically burdened by misrepresentations, which reinforces Greenlandic scepticism towards foreign filmmakers thus making the historical-emotional perspective essential to include. The concluding comparative discussion further describes how ultrasmall conditions must be seen according to the particularities of each context, where factors such as strategy, individual success, and funding opportunities are very different and characterised by external factors, history, and dependencies.<br/><br/>The dissertations’ comprehensive analyses of distinctive production conditions and histories thus contribute new knowledge in a previously unexplored area of international film studies. It contains significant findings on the importance of location, ultrasmall production conditions, power relations, as well as Greenlandic and international film history relevant to several research areas and production contexts. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/49ae7617-320b-40bb-803a-3e0440dc7118
- author
- Grønlund, Anders
LU
- supervisor
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- pages
- 371 pages
- publisher
- University of Copenhagen
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 49ae7617-320b-40bb-803a-3e0440dc7118
- date added to LUP
- 2024-04-02 12:10:08
- date last changed
- 2024-04-09 10:48:21
@phdthesis{49ae7617-320b-40bb-803a-3e0440dc7118,
abstract = {{This dissertation is a study of screen production in and about Greenland from a historical and contemporary perspective. In recent decades, an indigenous screen industry has emerged in Greenland that has otherwise been a destination for foreign production for more than a century. This has created an international production environment where foreign production continues to dominate, while Greenlandic film professionals are increasingly involved in these production processes and the production of Greenlandic content is growing. Despite this, there is limited knowledge about film production in and about Greenland. The aim of this dissertation is thus to create qualified insights into this development and the distinctive production environment of today. Through a place-based approach, both indigenous and foreign film production in and about Greenland is examined, and how Greenland-based production is characterised by ultrasmall and particular conditions.<br/><br/>The method is rooted in location-focused production studies through three qualitative case studies of the feature films Alanngut Killinganni (Malik Kleist, 2022) and Kalak (Isabella Eklöf, 2023), and the TV series Borgen: Power &amp; Glory (DR/Netflix, 2022) based on interviews, document analysis, and observations. In addition, the first comprehensive Greenlandic screen industry history is presented, including aspects such as transnational collaboration, institution-building, and Greenlandic film policymaking. The dissertation uses a broad theoretical framework including approaches to place and location, industry lifecycles, affective entanglements, and place branding. A major contribution is the development of theoretical frameworks for the study of degrees of participation and ultrasmall screen industries.<br/><br/>Based on the analyses, it is concluded that the Greenlandic screen history is more complex than previously described, both in terms of indigenous production, collaboration, political interest, funding opportunities, and place branding. The case study of Alanngut Killinganni highlights growing Indigenous filmmaking, but also the challenges of limited funding, (too) few film <br/>professionals, multifunctionalism, and distribution opportunities. The Kalak case highlights Danish-Greenlandic co-production and distinct emotional factors that characterise all stages of the production process, while Borgen: Power &amp; Glory emphasises streaming services' interest in Greenland and the Arctic as well as unique location challenges. Among other things, it is concluded that Greenlandic locations are historically burdened by misrepresentations, which reinforces Greenlandic scepticism towards foreign filmmakers thus making the historical-emotional perspective essential to include. The concluding comparative discussion further describes how ultrasmall conditions must be seen according to the particularities of each context, where factors such as strategy, individual success, and funding opportunities are very different and characterised by external factors, history, and dependencies.<br/><br/>The dissertations’ comprehensive analyses of distinctive production conditions and histories thus contribute new knowledge in a previously unexplored area of international film studies. It contains significant findings on the importance of location, ultrasmall production conditions, power relations, as well as Greenlandic and international film history relevant to several research areas and production contexts.}},
author = {{Grønlund, Anders}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{University of Copenhagen}},
title = {{Greenlandic Frames : Screen Production in and about Greenland}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/178502165/Groenlund_Greenlandic_Frames_final_PUBLIC.pdf}},
year = {{2023}},
}