New 25% Bulgarian cash rebate approved and greenlights first three projects

Bulgaria has approved a long-awaited 25% cash rebate and greenlit the first three feature film projects, which will shoot in the country in the coming months.

The incentive comes as part of the Bulgarian Film Act offering a 25% cash rebate on qualifying expenditure in the country for films, high-end TV series, documentaries and animation.

A Bulgarian Film Commission Foundation has been set up to support the new cash rebate, which has a cap of €1m per project, and is being adminstered by the National Film Centre Executive Agency. Applications are reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. 

“This is a long-awaited step in the further development of the film industry in Bulgaria,” says Jana Karaivanova, CEO of the Bulgarian Film Commission Foundation. “I am extremely happy to have had the opportunity, as a CEO of the Bulgarian National Film Center (2017-2021), to work for the introduction of the necessary changes in the Bulgarian Film Act, that will help the producers and investors to choose Bulgaria and its extraordinary film production capabilities as the next location for their projects.”

The first three projects approved for the incentive and set to shoot in Bulgaria in the coming months are Milko Lazarov’s third feature film, The Herd, produced by Red Carpet Films; The Caller from Midwest and the film Crossing. More details to be revealed soon.

The incentive is good news for the country, which has increased in popularity as a shooting location in recent years, boosted considerably by the state-of-the-art Nu Boyana Film Studios, owned by the US’s Nu Image and Millennium Media. Situated just outside the capital Sofia and spread over 30 hectares, the complex features 10 soundstages, an underwater production facility and plenty of standing sets — some left over from shoots including Rambo: Last Blood and London Has Fallen. 

The studio is due to host Millennium Media's action thriller The Bricklayer, starring Aaron Eckhart, from March.