CzechRep to spend CZK 0.5 billion on film incentives

Prague, March 21 (CTK) - The Czech state has earmarked a record high sum of 0.5 billion crowns for film incentives for foreign film productions in 2013, the daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes Thursday.

Last year, the state gave 340 million crowns to film incentives, LN adds.

Film-makers welcome these changes and they say the incentives will pay.

"I call it state investments not subsidies," director Jan Hrebejk, whose film has been nominated for Oscar, told LN.

The programme of film incentives was launched in 2010. On the basis of it, the Czech state can return to foreign producers shooting films in the country 10 percent of their costs of foreign actors and crew members and 20 percent of the costs of services and goods they spend in the Czech Republic.

The programme has attracted big foreign productions and movie stars to the Czech Republic.

At present, The Last Knights, a U.S. blockbuster with Morgan Freeman and Clive Owen, is being shot in the Czech Republic.

Besides, British actor and director Gary Oldman and U.S. star Bradley Cooper are to shoot films in the country soon.

In April, the Danish historic film 1864 will start to be shot in Czech locations. The Danes plan to spend some 218 million crowns in the country.

"As soon as the system of incentives stabilises in the Czech Republic, major Hollywood studios will open their local branches here," cinematography fund head Helena Frankova told LN.

So far 25 projects have applied for incentives since the beginning of March, while another 30 continue from last year. The deadline for applications expires at 13:00 on Friday, LN writes.

Foreign film crews spend money on shooting, accommodation, catering, transport and locations leasing. They also buy other services that are seemingly not directly connected with film production, such as power and fuel.

Similar incentives programme is applied in Britain, France Germany, Hungary and Ireland.

Apart from film incentives, there is another form of state support exclusively for Czech film-makers.

The State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography helps fund new film projects.

Since 2012, it has received a regular income of at least 235 million crowns a year guaranteed by law. Most of the sum comes from commercial TV channels like in the past, LN adds.