Film industry state support programme to restart with "updated, upgraded" form

The Georgian state's film industry support programme will be restarted in the coming days with an "updated, upgraded" form to offer cash rebate schemes to foreign filmmakers producing their work in the country, economy minister Natia Turnava announced on Monday.

Suspended when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the early 2020, the Film in Georgia programme, which had seen interest from filmmakers and scouts from different parts of the world using the cash rebate offer, will now be renewed, Turnava announced following a government meeting.

The economy minister told reporters the "updated, upgraded" format of the programme would still run under the Enterprise Georgia agency of the ministry, with new calls for submissions to be opened in the next few days.

Turnava's comments also revealed the new programme was aimed at not only supporting temporary film shooting projects that picked Georgia as their filming location, but also at opening "studios and pavilions", including with "associated companies from the Hollywood".

The minister said her team was "confident" the efforts would prove successful in promoting Georgia to prospective visitors and establishing an "international film industry platform" in the country.