The Mexican Film Commission has launched a scheme whereby productions in the country can apply for reimbursements of up to 17.5%.

The programme works as a three-pronged support mechanism that offers to reimburse up to 7.5% of Mexican spend for projects with a minimum spend of 70m pesos ($5.5m) in production costs or 20m pesos ($1.5m) in post-production costs.

Also being offered are VAT returns for non-Mexican productions – paid VAT in Mexico is 11% in the border region – and a specialised service platform that will enable faster processing of permits, among other amenities.

“This is part of the strategy to rebuild confidence in Mexico,”  Marina Stavenhagen, director general of the Mexican Film Institute, said, referring to the ongoing violence in the country caused by the drug wars.