Bulgarian Cinema Will Receive BGN 10 Million More Yearly

More subsidies for Bulgarian films, more national productions and additional financial incentives - these are part of the amendments to the Film Industry Act that the MPs approved at first reading, BGNES reports.

The texts were drafted by the Ministry of Culture and this week received unanimous approval in the parliamentary committee, but with the preliminary agreement from the members of the National Assembly that some of them will be refined between the two reading of the draft bill.

The industry welcomes the changes, but some artists have already raised the issue of how funding and films quality will be controlled.

"Today is a big day for the Bulgarian film industry. We will deal with a law that has not been working for more than 15 years, and Europe and the world are evolving", said MP of GERB actor Evgeni Budinov from the parliamentary podium during the today's discussions. He described the changes as "a big step for the Bulgarian film industry".

The new texts provide for changes in the scheme of state support for national film production, distribution, advertising and showing of films, as well as the support for festivals and cultural events. There is also an increase in the subsidy for national productions by BGN 10 million a year. The so-called "financial stimuli" or financial incentives for film companies that have staged productions in Bulgaria have also been regulated.

 They will be able to recover a certain percentage of the costs incurred while filming is underway in our country. According to the movers of the act, this will be an additional incentive for foreign companies to choose Bulgaria for the realization of their productions.

The bill also allows to expand the scope of the Bulgarian film industry - from...