“We developed the idea of a film fund, but the implementation will depend on the financial capacities of our region, and also on the involvement of tourist boards,”Aleksandra Vinkerlic, the head of the Istrian Cultural Agency.

The Istria Film Commission already has the general support of the local autorities. It will function within the Istrian Cultural Agency, following the example of Zadar Film Commission, helping the filming crews in location scouting, communication with public authorities and domestic productions and crew, obtaining filming permits, and accessing data bases.

The commission will work with both national and international productions. Its launch is expected to boost filmshooting in the Region of Istria. According to the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), six foreign productions have been shot there since 2012 when the tax rebate scheme was launched. Among them are the third season of Borgia, Ole Christian Madsen’s Danish/Croatian coproduction Itsi Bitsi (Nimbus Film, Mainframe Film Production), and Oliver Hirschbiegel’s UK drama Diana.

Another six foreign productions are expected to be shot in the Region of Istria in 2015: the first season of the American series Dig, the third season of the TV series Crossing Lines, the three-part German feature film Winnetou, Steven Quale’s French/American coproduction The Lake, Isabelle Sandri’s Italian feature Un Uncertain Border (Gaundri Film, MP Production) and Nicole van Kilsdonk’s When My Father Became a Bush, a Netherlands/Croatian coproduction (Lemming Film, Nukleus Film).