14-07-2014

German Productions Line up for Prague

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    PRAGUE: The increase in the cap on Czech film incentives is encouraging German productions to shoot in the Czech Republic, Wilma Film producer Filip Herling told FNE.

    “My clients were waiting for such a signal. They want certainty,” Hering said. The rise in the amount of film incentives from 500 m CZK to 800 m CZK was approved at the beginning of July. “We can give a guarantee of 20% incentives. The rollover of funds is the biggest advantage of the new system.” Funds approved for a film but not used in that fiscal year can be rolled over to the next year, making the system more practical for production service companies.

    “And we know that 800 m CZK is enough for the current project,” Hering added.

    Wilma Film specializes in the German market, with over 30 credits since the company was founded 15 years ago.

    The company is completing Tennbach on Tuesday, completing 70 days of shooting in the Czech Republic. The story, for ZDF, is set in a village located on the East German/West German border that was divided at the end of WWII.

    Next up is a TV mini-series set in the 12th century for ARD, shooting in autumn. The project, which was recently green-lighted, has a budget of over 6 m EUR and will spend 80m CZK in the Czech Republic. Hering said he’s also in discussions with a vampire genre horror film which would shoot in winter as a US/German/Czech coproduction. Hering said he’s hoping to buy the plane from the Liam Neeson film Non-Stop and set it up as a permanent set in Prague.