Harry Schein (1924–2006) is without question one of the most influential Swedish film and media politicians. His most famous achievement was the major Swedish film reform of 1963, when the state and the film industry came to an agreement on the financing and administration of a new film subsidy. The process that preceded the Swedish film reform of 1963 was longer and more complex than is usually noted. In the article this process is described and investigated through two interwoven narratives: one deals with the institutional and cultural conditions that preceded the reform, the other with the role of Harry Schein in the process. This is accomplished in the article by focusing on Harry Schein’s own writings and activities in the area of film politics from 1946 to 1962; the time when the film reform was initiated.