Increasingly, regions and cities in the Czech Republic are introducing grants or funds to support audiovisual production. Their aim is to encourage filmmakers to shoot in their locales, as the economic and marketing benefits of filming in the region are considerable. Up to 60% of the production budget for audiovisual works goes to “non-film” professions and services, and the parameters for drawing financial support ensure a return on the subsidies.
The latest call for film support comes from the Zlín Region. Makers of feature documentaries and fiction and animated films and series can submit applications from August 9 to 22, 2019. Ten million Czech crowns (approx. USD 440,000 / EUR 391,000) are available for distribution, and the grant program has been extended to include support for animated television series. These and other types of projects can receive funding of up to CZK 2 million (approx. USD 88,000 / EUR 78,000). The condition, however, is that the project must be filmed at least partly in the Zlín Region.
“Film not only has a history in our region, but there are excellent production conditions here, including the facilities at the film studios in Kudlov, a high concentration of people who understand the industry, as well as many schools offering education in the filmmaking, audiovisual, and multimedia industries,” says regional governor Jiří Čunek.
Applications are still being accepted until July 26 for support of development of scripts with direct ties to the city of Zlín. Last year, the City of Zlín Film Fund chose eight out of a total of twenty-two project applications, splitting CZK 900,000 (approx. USD 40,000 / EUR 35,000) among them. The volume of this year’s grant support has been increased to CZK 1.4 million (approx. USD 62,000 / EUR 55,000).
The Prague Film Fund also has a call currently open. Applications may be submitted by July 20 for foreign film and series projects or international co-productions. The basic condition: Prague must represent the actual city of Prague in the filmed project. To date, the Prague Film Fund, established by the capital city in 2016, has distributed a total of CZK 24.6 million (approx. USD 1.1 million / EUR 963,000) among 20 film and television projects.
The South Moravian Film Fund registered 30 applications for support this year; its last call closed on March 1, 2019. Grants totaling CZK 9 million (approx. USD 395,000 / EUR 352,000) were awarded to 13 feature and documentary films in amounts ranging from CZK 100,000 to CZK 2.5 million. The Fund plans to announce another call this fall, intended once again for script development.
“We’re delighted that regions are increasingly introducing grant programs to support audiovisual production. Until a few years ago, only Prague and its wider surroundings benefitted from this part of the creative and cultural industries. But we have a plethora of beautiful places here in the Czech Republic – some even able to “play” Prague if a producer insists on a set representing our capital city,” says Pavlína Žipková, head of the Czech Film Commission.
Grants totaling hundreds of thousands of crowns were awarded this year also in the Olomouc, Liberec, Pilsen, and Pardubice Regions. The Olomouc Region did so within the Support of Cinematography in the Jeseniky Mountains and Central Moravia Tourist Regions grant program (active since 2016), while the other regions provided support in the form of individual grants. The supported projects all have common features – links to the region, as well as the use of local locations, service providers, extras, and more.
But that’s not all for this year – the South Bohemian Region announced its first series of grants this year. However, the title of the scheme Support for Film Incentives is a bit misleading – the region intends to offer financial support for the filming of audiovisual works in the South Bohemian Region and has allocated CZK 5 million (approx. USD 220,000 / EUR 196,000) for this purpose. The application deadline has already passed, but the grant recipients have not yet been announced. The Moravian-Silesian Region is also ready to roll out a grant program for the support of AV projects. The first call is planned for September 2019 and the anticipated total volume of available funds for this year is CZK 2.5 million (approx. USD 110,000 / EUR 98,000).
“We recommend that the filmmakers with questions about support opportunities turn to our regional film offices, of which there are currently eleven in the Czech Republic. Not only can they tell you how to apply for grants, but they can also help with location scouting, communicating with authorities, and recommending local suppliers,” says Žipková.