05-07-2010

FNE at KVIFF 2010: New Czech US Production Company Launches

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    KARLOVY VARY: The new Czech tax rebate law has spawned the first of what will undoubtedly be many new production and location services outfits.
    California based director/producer Sean Ramsay speaking to FNE at KIVFF announced the launch of Central European Production and Locations together with his Prague based partner Steve Clarke.

    {mosimage}The new production and location outfit which will be based both in California and Prague and Ramsay said he had been waiting for the new tax rebate law to be approved before the actual launch of the company. "We will attract LA based productions to shoot in the Czech Republic as well as other countries in central and Eastern Europe by providing them with first class production services," said Ramsey. "The approval of the new 20% tax rebate in the Czech Repbulic was key to the launch of our company. We put things on hold waiting for it."


    {mosimage}Partner Clarke has worked for many years in production and location services on many local and international productions in the Czech Republic.
    Ramsay was in KVIFF just after the MIFF (www.moscowfilmfestival.ru) debut of his new film Victory Day which was shot mostly in the Czech Republic which some additional shooting in Russia. The plot follows the story of a "New Russian" oligarch who is kidnapped by a foreign journalist who accuses him of all the wrongs of the 1990's period of transition.


    Ramsey who spent more than ten years in Moscow as a Reuters journalist from 1991 to 2003 says he drew on many of his own experiences for the film which he scripted, directed and produced with his LA based production outfit New Media International (www.newmediainternational.us)