Written by new-contact on May 15, 2012. Posted in Incentive News

South Africa expands location filming incentives to boost international appeal

South Africa has improved its location filming incentives and expanded them to include post-production. The move could help it attract more features like superhero drama Chronicle.

The country’s rebate has been lifted from 15% to 20% and shoots can now get a rebate of up to 5% on post-production spending.

The changes have been warmly received across South Africa’s filming industries. They come only a few weeks after the UK Government announced it would be launching a TV filming incentive to sit alongside its existing film tax credit to prevent productions heading overseas to places like South Africa.

Rob Davies is South Africa’s Minister for Trade and Industry: “The South African Government takes cognisance of the contribution the film industry potentially has in stimulating the country’s economic growth, strengthening the country’s profile in the global creative environment and in the facilitation of employment creation.

The South African Government takes cognisance of the contribution the film industry potentially has in stimulating the country’s economic growth.

Rob Davies, Minister for Trade and Industry

“The sector has enormous potential in bringing the necessary currency into the economy and can act as an important vehicle through which technology is transferred and South Africa’s skill base is upgraded.”

While already a global production hub for commercial shoots, South Africa’s feature appeal has been increasing with Safe House, as well as Chronicle. Dredd – an adaptation of comic book Judge Dredd - was among the first projects to shoot at Cape Town Studios, which will also be hosting pirate miniseries Black Sails later this year, a production that marks Transformers director Michael Bay’s first TV venture.

(Safe House image: Universal Pictures)