Anette Novak Out As CEO At Swedish Film Institute

Zac Ntim
·2 min read

Anette Novak is out at the Swedish Film Institute.

The Institute announced today that Novak will leave her role as CEO with a statement on their website. The reason for Novak’s departure was not disclosed. Speculation in local media suggests Novak’s departure was without warning and instructed by the Institute’s board.

More from Deadline

“The board considers that there is a need for new leadership. The intention is not to change the direction of the business,” board chairwoman Gunilla von Platen said in the statement.

Novak joined the Swedish Film Institute in April 2022 from her role as the director and agency head of The Swedish Media Council, which, among other things, is responsible for the Swedish film classification. Novak also worked as the Swedish Government’s appointed investigator for the Media review. She also served as CEO at RISE Interactive Institute, a Swedish state-owned IT and research Institute.

Since 2022, Sweden has backed films such as Ruben Östlund’s Cannes winner Triangle of Sadness and Martin Skovbjerg’s buzzy feature Copenhagen Does Not Exist. This year, Sweden had two films at the Toronto Film Festival: Lukas Moodysson’s Together 99 and Axel Petersén’s Shame on Dry Land. Both films received funding from the institute. Venice competition title The Promised Land, starring Mads Mikkelsen, was also a recipient of production funding from the Institute.

Novak succeeded Anna Serner, who left the post in 2021. Serner was best known for creating the 50/50by2020 initiative in 2016, an industry-led campaign working for gender equality in cinema. The initiative was later adopted by organizations and festivals around the world and continues to evolve as the fight for equality rolls on.

The Institute’s executive board will appoint Novak’s replacement.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.