Centre mulling increasing filming incentives for global production, says I&B secretary

India is mulling increasing the incentives offered to international production houses for filming in the country and also grant one-off perks for big-ticket films. Last year, the government unveiled an Incentive Scheme for Audio Visual Co-production where the Indian co-producer can claim a cash reimbursement of up to 30 per cent on qualifying expenditure in India, subject to a maximum of Rs 2 crore.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra on Tuesday said the government is considering increasing the quantum of incentives as it realised that other countries are offering more attractive perks for filming.

'We will reveal the quantum of increase shortly, the proposal is under consultation within the government,' Chandra said at the 4th Global AVGC and Immersive Media Summit here.

He said the government received 6-7 applications from producers to film in the country under the incentive schemes but expressed displeasure that the initiative was not known to those in the animation and visual effects industry.

Chandra said the government was also considering hosting a separate international animation film festival soon.

To encourage the animation sector, the government, as an initial effort, will have a segment dedicated to the fast-emerging sector at the International Film Festival of India in Goa, he said.

Chandra said animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) formed 20 per cent of the media and entertainment sector in the country and was growing fast.

Film production markets such as the US, Canada and the UK offer programmes at the national level as well as state and provincial levels.

Emerging markets such as the Middle East and Africa, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco and South Africa, have started deploying production incentives to jump-start local content development, given markets there are still nascent.