Free culture do not always reach multi – Swedish Dagbladet

D t was a small triumphant culture and democracy minister who introduced the culture budget for 2016 at the cinema Zita in Stockholm – an increase of 359 million compared to the 2015 budget. “It is long since the budget held such a large investment in culture,” said Alice Bah Kuhnke, saying that the red-green government’s increase in the culture budget next year is equivalent to what the previous government added over three years.

Among us skeptically minded culture journalists who were scattered in sammetsblå cinema seats synthesis is not directly a few standing ovations – you want to have more feet first – but well some encouraging nods. For although the priorities and figures can and should be discussed, the increase is a welcome signal.

There was hardly no coincidence that the budget presented at the People’s bios Zita, where Bah Kuhnke presented a ‘new film policy for a new reality “with powerpoint on the big screen in the effective biomörker. The new film policy is admittedly nothing new – already this spring became clear that the film agreement scrapped (welcome) and that the state instead go in and finance the film through increased VAT on ticket sales (more problematic, as SvD’s film critic Hynek Pallas has pointed out).

In the budget it has also become clear what amount the state spends – 25 million already in 2016 and 235 million annually 2017-18, when the changeover of film policy is made. Far too little, according to the Swedish Film Institute CEO Anna Serner. But Alice Bah Kuhnke claim that Serner has miscalculated, it certainly becomes “more money to the Swedish film” – and, moreover, more actors will influence the future. But fears that the new tax revenues would not benefit the film enough remains.

Several parts of the culture budget has already come to public attention in recent days – which focus on free admission at 17 museums (most in Stockholm) . It seems to be in line with the government’s focus on “more culture for more”, but an analysis of the Agency for Cultural pointed out the other year the effect is not given. Entrance fee is primarily controls your visits, and less so the as visiting museums. (Read Clemens Poellingers comment for reform here.)

One can ask whether a similar logic applies to the music school – which gets 100 million extra in 2016 “to promote low fees.” Bah Kuhnke promised, however, that money also will be used to review other obstacles, such as queues, which limits availability. An investigation of a national strategy for cultural school added and will be presented next autumn.

It is good for an overall concern for the Swedish cultural policy is how national, unifying ambition stands up. Since regionalization in the form of the so-called interaction model, introduced in 2011, there are several question marks. Culture Minister expressed his support for the reform, but also admitted that there is concern among regional cultural managers that the government backs their responsibility for culture in the country. In a report on the regional music published by the Swedish Performing Arts last spring showed how the organizations become increasingly dependent on each region’s willingness and ability to support the business – and have no contact with state, national and international structures. To live up to the motto “more culture for more” learning culture department need to keep a close eye on how the regional cultural policy developed around the country.