Frøya Island, off the coast of the region of Trøndelag in Norway, provides the wildly beautiful backdrop to the TV comedy drama series Billionaire Island, produced by Rubicon for Netflix. It chronicles the lives, loves, rivalries and revenge of the families who dominate Norway’s prosperous salmon-farming industry on Frøya Island.
“On this beautiful, windswept island on the edge of the open ocean, fishermen have clung on for centuries. Now, it is home to some of the world’s most successful fish farmers,” says Anne Bjørnstad, one of the series’ creators.
The juxtaposition of traditional fishing huts against modern Malibu-style villas encapsulates the evolving economic landscapes depicted in the series.
“The industry here, usually hidden beneath the water, plays a crucial backdrop to the narrative, revealing a billion-dollar industry that’s almost invisible on the surface, yet integral to the plot,” says Marit Moum Aune, director of Billionaire Island.
Midgard Film Commission, the organisation that covers the region of Trøndelag, has been integral to the transformation of Frøya into a film-friendly destination, complete with picturesque villages, dramatic cliffs and a stunning coastline.
A meeting in October 2019 between the Midgard Film Commission with mayor Kristin Furunes Strømskag and cultural consultant Mona Elisabeth Skarsvåg among others, helped to set events in motion that would solidify Frøya’s status as Norway’s go-to film island.
Since that. meeting productions to shoot on Frøya Island include the Nordisk feature Everybody Hates Johan, Spaett Film’s Norwegian Dream and the Viaplay hit GoldRun, each building on the experiences of the other.
“Being nominated for a EUFCN Location Award is a great honour and a testament to the hard work put into promoting Frøya as a prime filming destination,” says Solveig Sigmond Ræstad, film commissioner of Midgard Film Commission Norway.
Contact: Solveig S. Ræstad
Find out more: www.midgardfilm.com
The EUFCN Location Awards are the annual prizes for European filming locations, organised by the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN).
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