Prague, Nov 27 (CTK) – German filmmakers will shoot 14 television films and series and spend more than 850 million crowns in the Czech Republic in 2017, Helena Bezdek Frankova, director of the State Cinematography Fund, has told CTK.
“German television productions are currently the most faithful clients. This year, they are working on criminal stories set directly in Prague, but also on a high-budget series of Bavaria Fiction, a Munich based company, entitled Das Boot, whose makers will spend 360 million crowns here,” she said.
A system of filmmaking incentives, whereby foreign filmmakers get back part of the money they provably spend, factors in the interest, she added.
Not long ago, the Czech Television broadcasted a German three-part film series The Same Sky set in the divided Berlin of the 1970s, which was shot in the Czech Republic.
It is not too difficult to create Berlin in Prague, visual effects supervisor Denis Behnke said. The advantage is that you can find whole streets and town parts which resemble former Berlin a lot, Behnke said.
The filmmaking was assisted by Mia Film, a Czech production company.
“We are shooting or preparing a new shooting with the Germans almost all the time. We have had 160 shooting days on seven projects for German televisions this year,” producer Michal Pokorny from Mia Film and Schiwago Film said.
Pokorny is currently working on two titles for the new criminal series Der Prag-Krimi. He has been working with its director Nicolai Rohde and his crew from the ARD TV station since October 18. Rohde is to spend 42 shooting days in Prague and spend 37 million crowns.
Rohde said he had never been shooting in the Czech Republic, but after his current experience he was definitely going to come back.
It is obvious that many international productions are being shot here and the cooperation with Czech colleagues is excellent, he said.
The ARD will also spend 60 shooting days in the country for the second line of its Charite series, with costs reaching almost 80 millions crowns.
German ZDF TV station is shooting scenes for its two-part thriller Walpurgisnacht (Witches’ Night) in Izera mountains, Kutna Hora and around Prague as well, intending to spend more than 62 million crowns by December 22. Apart from the main actors and the film director, the crew consists of Czech professionals.
