Austria to introduce “game-changing“ 30% film and TV production incentive

Austria is set to welcome new 30% film and TV production incentive, as part of a package of laws passed by the country's parliament on Thursday (15 Dec).

According to Deadline, it also includes Europe’s first Green bonus, as well additional funds for productions with a high percentage of female heads of department.

The new law, which was presented by the Culture Committee, will come into effect on 1 January, 2023.

All formats are eligible for the incentive, from features to TV, streaming and virtual reality and post-production.

Georg Tomandl, FAMA deputy chairman said the fact the new incentive was open to all formats was a “real game changer”.

Under the new incentive model, there will be a basic grant of 30%, with a 5% green filming bonus. There will also be a bonus of €25,000 for projects with a high number of female department heads.

“This decision is the most important step since the introduction of film funding in Austria 40 years ago,” said Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, chairman of Film & Music Austria, the trade association for the film and music industry.

“The Parliament has set a decisive course for the sustainable strengthening of the domestic film, sound and music location with the ‘Green Bonus’ for environmentally friendly production, the bonus for productions with a high participation of women in head departments, and the expansion to all forms of exploitation,” he added.

Maximum funding per project for international productions is €5m for film and €7.5m for series. Minimum spend in Austria is €150,000 for fictional content, €80,000 for a documentary and €25,000 for animation, VFX and post-production.