The production year in the Czech Republic is off to a strong start, with 19 projects on track to receive more than CZK 238m through the country’s production rebate.
Of the new projects, two began prepping last year. A Royal Affair (Zentropa Entertainments, Sirena Film), starring Mads Mikkelsen, is expected to receive a rebate of CZK 13.6m. TV pilot Missing (ABC Studios, Stillking Films) is in line for CZK 81.6m.
Period film Die Rache der Wanderhure (TV60 Filmproduction, Aichholzer Filmproduktion, Wilma Film) is eligible for CZK 9.3m. The German-Austrian-Czech co-production will be broadcast by SAT 1.
Also qualified for the rebate is Philip Noyce’s upcoming project Wenceslas Square (Endgame Entertainment, Milk and Honey Pictures). The Cold War-era spy tale can reclaim CZK 23.7m of its local spend.
Through the Film Industry Support Programme (FISP), producers can reclaim up to 20% of their local production costs. The 19 projects mentioned above have submitted their applications and financial data to the Ministry of Culture, which administers the FISP. Six additional projects have begun the process of qualifying for the rebate by passing a test for European cultural and production criteria.
Nine of the 19 projects began production last year and have already received approximately CZK 86m for the portion of their filming in 2010 – among them Borgia (Atlantique Production/EOS, Canal +, Etic Films) and Red Tails (Lucasfilm, Partnership Pictures).
The FISP is designed to help filmmakers get more value out of their production in the Czech Republic. Inaugurated in 2010, the incentives measure awarded a combined total CZK 177,654,600 (roughly $9.3m) to 21 projects, including Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Odcházení and Rockstar.
The FISP has CZK 300m (about $15.7m) available to distribute in 2011. To learn how your project can access the rebate, please visit the FISP web site at www.ppfp.cz or contact the Czech Film Commission.