Cyprus is determined to attract Bollywood film community

The Cypriot government and authorities are committed to implement a series of specific incentives in order to attract Indian filming companies.

Due to its natural beauty Cyprus was always a very attractive location for Indian filmmakers. However due to lack of incentives the majority of filming companies decided to not to produce their films in the island.

Cyprus has currently no film commission or similar authority responsible for issuing filming permits. Production companies interested in filming shall contact either the Press Information office or the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO), which requires the movie scripts for approval, before giving them the green light. Cyprus is also lacking the legal framework governing the filming procedures. The only grant one could have for filming is offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This is going to change in the very future.

The Indian filmmakers would be interested to film in Cyprus if there are right conditions and the Cypriot government and authorities are determined to sort out the obstacles and to implement a series of specific incentives. The Cyprus Investment and Promotion Agency together with the Presidency and the ministers of education and commerce are currently working to set up an attractive infrastructure in line with the European directives. Parliamentary approval is needed to amend the taxation law, which is expected to happen before the summer.

During his official state visit in India Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus has met also with leading personalities from Mumbai’s legendary film industry to promote Cyprus and to discuss the possibilities of shooting Indian films in Cyprus. In his speech at the India-Cyprus Business Forum he said, that

“Following the recent introduction of tax incentives for investment in innovation and start-up companies, we will soon also be introducing an incentive scheme specific to the filming industry. The beauty, climate and cultural wealth of our country, in combination with incentives we plan to introduce, will make Cyprus an ideal filming location. We welcome production companies from India to consider Cyprus, and we commit to ensure that their experience, should they choose our island as a filming location, will be as smooth as possible.”

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