Austria

[AT/LV] Co-funding Agreement between Austria and Latvia

IRIS 2006-5:1/40

Esther M. Harlow

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The Austrian Film Institute in Vienna and the Latvian Film Centre (Nacionālais kino centrs) signed a co-funding agreement on independent cinema film production on 22 May 2006.

The parties’ intention in reaching the agreement is to co-operate on and mutually support film projects that are culturally, economically and in terms of content in the particular interests of both countries and are co-funded by Austrian and Latvian film-makers.

Under paragraph 1 of the agreement, the Centre and the Austrian Film Institute will contribute to the cost of a co-production up to a maximum of EUR 250,000 per project. In each case, one partner waives the right to call for the subsidy recipient to contribute a percentage of the artistic and technical work equivalent to the financial percentage received. In return, the other partner undertakes to subsidise a project between Latvian and Austrian producers to the same extent within 24 months of the conclusion of a subsidy agreement and also to waive the right to call for the subsidy recipient to contribute a percentage of the artistic and technical work equivalent to the financial percentage received.

The ability of an individual project to receive a subsidy depends upon the Centre’s and the Film Institute’s current guidelines on support for co-funded productions.