Managing director Stein Slyngstad of the Norwegian Film Fund will not extend his fixed-term contact and will leave his position as it expires by the end of July.

A former CEO of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra-the Stavanger Concert Hall and chief of Oslo's Henie Onstad Arts Centre, Slyngstad became the first head of the fund, which was established in 2001 and has been acknowledged as one of the reasons for the current success of Norwegian cinema.

After last week's decision by the Norwegian Parliament, the fund will next year be absorbed in a new Norwegian Film Institute, also comprising the present institute, the Norwegian Film Development and the Norwegian Film Commission.

The fund's head of production, Elin Erichsen - formerly in charge of the Norwegian Audiovisual Fund - has been appointed acting managing director between Aug 1-Dec 31.