Karlovy Vary, West Bohemia, July 3 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka called on U.S. film producers to resume more intensive production in the Czech Republic at their meeting during the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival today, his spokesman Martin Ayrer has told CTK.
Sobotka’s negotiations with the representatives of big film studios focused on the conditions of film and TV production in the Czech Republic, including the new audiovisual legislation, Ayrer said.
The meeting followed up the talks Sobotka had with U.S. film producers in Los Angeles during his working visit to the USA in April.
“On Tuesday, the prime minister will also meet Czech film makers and producers at the Karlovy Vary festival to discuss the current state of the Czech film industry and related legislation,” Ayrer said.
Earlier this year, Czech parliament approved an amendment to the audiovisual law which makes the system of incentives for foreign film-makers more transparent.
It also introduces annual subsidies worth up to 200 million crowns for Czech cinematography to boost the production of cost-intensive and coproduction films and the promotion of Czech film.
The main aim of film incentives is to attract foreign producers and investors to make films and TV programmes in the Czech Republic and use the services of Czech providers.
Within the incentives, the Czech Republic offers to return 20 percent of the costs to foreign investors. The offer has been in effect for several years now, but in the beginning the state earmarked a rather low sum for this purpose.
The sum was significantly increased last year, when the incentives attracted projects worth 4.5 billion crowns, the record highest investments in the past 12 years.
Czech locations have been sought by foreign film makers for their diversity and universality.
($1=24.435 crowns)
rtj/dr
