Libra Films’ creative documentary Nadia about the Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci, to be co-directed by Transilvania film festival president Tudor Giurgiu with Tudor D. Popescu and Cristian Pascariu, is among the first Romanian and international productions to benefit from Romania’s revamped 30% cash rebate for film and TV projects.
Further recipients include US indie romantic comedy Real True 100%, directed by husband-and-wife team Jillie Simon and Thomas Simon, that shot this spring in Bucharest, and three-part docu-drama Jack The Ripper: Written In Blood for Sky History, produced by the UK’s Nutopia with Romania’s Icon Films.
The filming incentive was relaunched after the 2024 Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) under the auspices of the newly-created Office for Film and Cultural Investments (OFIC). The incentive, which had been dormant since 2021, was reopened with an annual budget of up to €55m. It is open to projects that spend at least €100,00 locally, and is capped at €10m per project.
“Our goal is to become not only competitive, but predictable and professional in every interaction,” says Valentin Savu, manager and director general of OFIC. “What’s more, compared to other regional schemes, Romania’s programme guarantees strict legal timelines, avoiding delays often caused by discretionary budget caps or bureaucratic uncertainty in other countries.”
All applications for the rebate are subject to evaluation and approval by the independent seven-member Romanian Film Commission consisting of professionals with experience of working in fields such as film production, public policy, and finance/accounting including producer-director Mirona-Mihaela Radu, film budgeting expert Rodica-Gina Popa and writer-director Ruxandra Ghitescu.
“Since the reopening of the programme in July 2024, we have received and registered over 40 projects,” Savu notes. “These include a good mix of national and international films, series, documentaries, and co-productions and confirm the incentive is once again seen as credible and competitive in Europe.”
Looking back at the previous rebate scheme, he reveals, “Over 85% of all validated and eligible outstanding payments from the 2018–2020 period have now been settled…A small number of projects are still being finalised due to legal or procedural complications, but the backlog has essentially been cleared.”
Further productions to have received the cash rebate include Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s Kontinental 25 which won the Silver Bear for best screenplay at this year’s Berlinale, as well as the drama series Tattoo produced by the Romanian private TV channel Pro TV, and Paul Negoescu’s children’s fantasy film Atlas Of The Universe, co-written with fellow director Mihai Mincan, which will be co-produced by deFilm with Bulgaria’s Screening Emotions.
Full service
In addition to taking over the administration of the cash rebate, OFIC has created a suite of services for incoming producers.
“We’ve launched a national production resources database which allows producers to search for Romanian crews, studios, equipment providers, and post-production facilities,” says Savu, who worked as a cultural policy expert and project manager in both the public and private creative sectors as well for international funding programmes before joining OFIC.
“OFIC also supports producers with guidance through local shooting permit procedures, facilitates professional networking, and upholds international industry standards.”
The organisation has also become a full member of the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN) and the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) which allows it to participate in knowledge-sharing and promotional activities.
Savu is proud of what OFIC has achieved since it launched.
“In less than a year, OFIC has restructured the national film incentive programme,” he says. “It has also fully digitised the application process, established a dedicated and reliable team, unlocked stalled payments from the previous rebate era, and restored institutional credibility among producers.”
No comments yet