Georgian National Film Center (GNFC) announced initially that the minimum spend would be 300,000 EUR for features and 150,000 EUR for documentaries for a minimum of three shooting days, but David Vashadze, Head of Exports and Distribution at the Georgian National Film Center, told FNE that the minimum spend will be lowered.

He also said that several foreign projects will be shot in Georgia by the end of 2015 including some Indian productions, a British feature and a pilot of a TV series. “This shows that interest in filming in Georgia already exists, and we think that the ease of the financial side and the customer oriented incentive scheme will increase the number of the foreign film productions significantly,” Vashadze said.

The launch of the tax rebate is hugely important for a country where the foreign films are multiplying. “We think that this decision is crucially important for the Georgian film industry. There are many film production companies looking for new and very diverse territories. Low bureaucracy and a film friendly atmosphere are very important, but without financial incentives the possibility of attracting of big number of foreign productions is not possible,” Vashadze told FNE.