Swedish Film Institute (SHI) Considers New Rules For Training On Sexual Harassment In Industry

Swedisn Film Institute (SHI) Considers New Rules For Training On Sexual Harassment In Industry

The Swedish Film Institute (SFI) is responding with lightening speed to the recent #MeToo letter signed by nearly 600 local actresses, including Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (above), calling out harassment and abuse in Sweden's film, theater industry.

SFI head Anna Serner's proposal, which requires board approval, stipulates that production companies seeking public funding attend free educational seminars, likely one or two per year, that would cover issues, such as sexual harassment, gender equality and diversity. 

Asserting “zero tolerance against sexual exploitation and violence” the letter signatories demanded that employers, from film companies and theaters to book publishers and Swedish television networks, “stop protecting, hiring and making money on perpetrators” of sexual violence.

Writing on her blog, Serner said the #MeToo movement could only truly change the culture "if there are consequences" and called for zero tolerance of sexual harassment. The problem, writes Serner, is about power and an industry decision to profit from known abusers.