History

It was established in 1917 under the name Kommunale Kinematografers Landsforbund (KKL), and was a national association of municipal-owned cinema companies. In Norway, as opposed to many other countries, municipal ownership gradually superseded private ownership in this field after 1912, and the establishment of KKL helped consolidate the municipal system by horizontal integration

Horizontal integration

In microeconomics and strategic management, the term horizontal integration describes a type of ownership and control. It is a strategy used by a business or corporation that seeks to sell a type of product in numerous markets...

. Municipal companies had a market share of 20% in 1917, but this had risen significantly already by 1919.

Film & Kino distributes a magazine of the same name, in circulation from 1916. It was originally named Norsk Filmblad. A distribution bureau

Film distributor

A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...

, Kommunenes Filmcentral

Kommunenes Filmcentral

Kommunenes Filmcentral was a film distributor in Norway.It was established in 1919 when Kommunale Kinematografers Landsforbund, an association of municipal-owned cinemas, bought the private-owned Nerliens Filmbureau. It distributed films by Universum Film AG and United Artists, later the Walt...

, was created in 1919. The next step was to support the establishment of a production company, and Norsk Film opened in 1935. In 1948 followed for production of educational and documentary films. In the same year, the company Norwegian Mobile Cinema was founded. Its purpose was to bring culture to rural districts without a cinema, similar to the mobile theatre Riksteatret

Riksteatret

Riksteatret is a Norwegian touring theatre. It was established by law in 1948. Its first performance was in Kirkenes in 1949, with Sigurd Christiansen's play En reise i natten. The theatre plays on about 200 different stages throughout the country. Its first theatre director was Fritz von der...

, which was established in 1947. KKL was one of many shareholders in the Mobile Cinema, together with the state, Kommunenes Filmcentral, the liberal movement's , the labour movement's and more. The Mobile Cinema faced tough competition from television in the post-World War II period, and was incorporated by in 1969. was merged into the Norwegian Film Institute (established in 1956 with archive purposes) in 1993, and KKL took over the Mobile Cinema.

KKL changed its name to Film & Kino (sometimes written FILM&KINO) in 1998. Tasks of today, in addition to the Mobile Cinema, include support of film distribution, import and publicity. It awards the Aamot Statuette, and co-organizes the Norwegian International Film Festival

Norwegian International Film Festival

The Norwegian International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Haugesund, Norway. The festival goes back to 1973.In 1985, the Amanda award was instituted. The Amanda is awarded every year at the festival in different movie categories...

 in Haugesund

Haugesund

is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...

. Its member body consists of 149 municipalities with cinemas. The CEO since 1993 is Lene Løken, and its board of directors consists of Bjørg Wallevik (chair), Geirmund Lykke (deputy chair), Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud

Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud

Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.During the cabinet Jagland, she was appointed political advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture...

, Knut Even Lindsjørn, Britt Skinstad Nordlund, Geir Martin Jensen, Roar Skovli and Håkon Skogrand. The latter three represent the film industry and cinemas, the other are politicians.