Frøya in Norway and Schönbrunn Palace in Austria have won the best European filming locations of the year awards at the European Film Commissions Network’s annual ceremony, which took place yesterday (February 17, 2025) at Berlin’s European Film Market.
Winner of the EUFCN location award was Frøya, through the Midgard Film Commission Norway, selected by the location awards jury, while Schönbrunn Palace, via the Vienna Film Commission, won the EUFCN audience location award, chosen by the public through online voting.
Frøya Island in Trøndelag, Norway, is known for its coastline, fishing heritage and grand architecture, and has featured in Netflix series Billionaire Island, produced by Rubicon. Solveig Sigmond Ræstad, film commissioner at Midgard Film Commission Norway, was joined in Berlin by Kristin Furunes Strømskag, mayor of Frøya, Mona Elisabeth Skarsvåg, film coordinator on Frøya and Gudny Hummelvoll, producer at Rubicon.
“We are incredibly proud to receive this award. It’s unbelievable that Frøya has been named the most attractive filming location in Europe. The criteria were strict, and we competed against very strong contenders. Winning the location award is truly touching,” said Ræstad.
“What is special is how quickly everything has happened, since the Midgard Film Commission visited us on Frøya for the first time and informed us about the benefits of film production in 2019. We followed up and, in a short time, film productions came as thick as beads on a string,” added Skarsvåg.
Mayor Strømskag noted the award “highlights the importance of establishing an improved film incentive scheme”.
Schönbrunn Palace, the Baroque summer residence of the Habsburgs since the early 18th century, was voted favourite filming location by the public. It served as a filming location for the residence of reigning dictator Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet) in the HBO/Warner Bros series The Regime.
Marijana Stoisits, managing director of the Vienna Film Commission and Stefanie Rauscher, head of project management and deputy managing director of the Vienna Film Commission, received the award.
“Schönbrunn Palace is an extraordinary location that has opened its doors wide for the shooting of The Regime for the very first time in such scale. This was a huge challenge for the most visited touristic spot in Vienna, but it was mastered perfectly by the entire team of Schönbrunn Palace,” said Stoisits.
Further finalists for this year’s awards were Mdina, Malta, for Napoleon; Staatsoper Stuttgart, Germany, for Cranko; and Tajogaite Volcano, Spain for La Hojarasca.
EUFCN is a non-profit organisation that promotes Europe as a filming location, representing 102 film commissions in 33 countries.
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Publish date : 2025-02-18 07:05:00
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