‘Maria,’ ‘Brutalist,’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ Are Among the Award Contenders to Benefit From European Incentives and Crew

variety.com:

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor As countries improve tax incentives and develop larger numbers of qualified crews and state-of-the-art facilities, Europe has become a buzzing international production hub for film and TV.

With a wealth of options to choose from, how are line producers deciding where to shoot? And how are service providers attracting clients? “It doesn’t take a lot of brain power to realize that it’s easy to move now,” says producer Rick McCallum, co-founder of Prague-based production company Film United. “For years, especially in England and the U.S., people were horrified to try shooting in Central or Eastern Europe because of the language and currency differences but now there are generous incentive programs and cheaper labor costs.

If you can save 20% on your budget, you move.” The Czech Republic is one of the prime European destinations for international shoots, with McCallum adding that “crew costs easily 25 to 30% less than most Western European countries.” Plus, the local tax rebate, which is one of the swiftest in the region with an eight- to 10-week processing window, has now been increased to 25%, which the producer says “makes the country a little bit more competitive against Hungary at 30%.” Hungary, which pioneered tax incentive schemes by introducing its first rebate in 2003 to encourage local film production, has been subjected to very welcome industry attention this year.

Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” Pablo Larraín’s “Maria” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” are among the high-profile films recently shot in the country.