26-08-2014

Bosnia and Herzegovina Prepares a New Audiovisual Law

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    SARAJEVO: Bosnian film experts are planning to present a draft of an update of the 1990 cinema law to the country’s parliament, after spending more than a year working on it.

    The text is ready but we intend to go ahead with the submitting procedure after the parliamentary elections, which will take place in October. Our aim is to convince the politicians that they have to modernise the old regulations and adapt them to the EU legislation,” Jovan Marjanovic, member of the board of management of Film Fund Sarajevo and member of the working body, told FNE.

    He added that “due to the economic crises the public support this year will not exceed 800,000 EUR.” After the adoption of the new audiovisual law, he expects that the annual support for film will raise up to 3 million EUR.

    Producer Amra Baksic Camo, the head of CineLink, confirmed that the new audiovisual law will allow the public budget for film to be supplemented by payments from the private sector. “They will be paid by companies working with video and audio content, TV broadcasters, internet and telecommunication providers,” Camo said.

    The new law will also allow the establishment of a National Audiovisual Agency which will replace the Film Fund Sarajevo.

    Commenting the recently concluded CineLink edition of the Sarajevo International Festival Camo affirmed that the Bosnian producers are happy with the prospect to put the local regulations on a new basis.

    “We worked hard in order to convince our politicians that the film industry is profitable for the country. We presented them a special book with statistics and information. We hope that by the middle of the next year our new public institution will be established,” Camo concluded.