According to the current Audiovisual Act, the Czech Film Fund is obliged to keep projects registered in the system even if filming is not green lighted by the studio. Projects can still get the incentives if they spend the minimum expenditure.

“The film industry is a living organism. The changes proposed by the amendment are very important to ensure that the incentive system works smoothly, and they will free the Czech Film Fund to support new projects of domestic and international production,” said Culture Minister Martin Baxa.

The proponents of the new amendment suggested that due to the urgency of the matter, the Chamber of Deputies should approve the bill in the first reading.

In 2023, the state allocated a record amount of 56.7 m EUR / 1.4 billion CZK for production incentives. However, the Ministry of Culture will cut 8.1 m EUR / 200 m CZK from the incentives budget in 2024. This causes concern among film professionals, who have long warned that if the state's spending on incentives is not increased annually, the Czech Republic will not be able to compete with other countries in the region.

Relevant information on the Czech production incentives can be found at the Czech Film Commission's website www.filmcommission.cz.