Two projects will receive support for filming of foreign movies in Latvia in the first round of the announced competition within the state support programme:
- the producer union “Cinevilla Films” will receive co-funding of 388 thousand euro from the Latvian state to film the continuation of the series “Sisi” which follows the life of Elisabeth, the last Empress of Austria-Hungary,
- the producer union “White Picture” will film Eve’s Call in Latvia, a horror movie about a young Estonian actress, who is ready to prove that she is ready to do anything for her role, the state will support the filming of this movie with a co-funding of 281 thousand euro.
In order to encourage raising foreign investment, a variety of financial mechanisms have been established in many countries in Europe and around the world, both in the form of taxation and in the form of funds, so that foreign film producers are financially interested in filming in that country, recovering some of the funding invested. In March, the Latvian government also approved a new state aid programme developed by the Ministry of Economics for filming foreign films in Latvia.
The motion picture industry, as one of the creative industries, plays an important role in the visibility and economic growth of the country. The cooperation of Latvian film producers with foreign film producers strengthens the competitiveness and export capacity of Latvian film industry professionals in the international market, supports local companies, stimulates the country’s economy and demonstrates that in Latvia, with its beautiful and intact nature, as well as the historically rich infrastructure, it is possible to film noteworthy, quality and competitive movies,” the Minister of Economics Ilze Indriksone emphasises.
The services provided by the motion picture industry significantly stimulate the development and visibility of the national economy. Co-financing effectively promotes employment in different sectors, including in the sectors of the economy not directly linked to the film industry (e.g. hospitality, catering, transport services) while strengthening the international competitiveness of film industry professionals. “In view of the high interest of film producers in receiving aid, we are currently analysing the possibility of providing additional funding for the support programme to support a wider number of applicants,” the Minister continues.
The first selection round of the competition was organised by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (IDAL) from March 28 to April 28 this year, in which a total of seven film projects were received.