FILMING EUROPE/NEW BOARD DIRECTORY
Truls Kontny (Film Commission Norway) is the new President of the European Film Commissions Network.
During their General assembly in Turin-Italy, where they were the guests of the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, the Filming Europe members voted to renew part of the association’s board of directors. The elections resulted in the following board: Truls Kontny – President (Film Commission Norway), Mikael Svensson – Vice-President (Oresund Film Commission), Valérie Lépine-Karnik – General Secretary (Film France) Brodie Pringle – Treasurer (Creative Scotland), Andrea Rocco – Board member (Genova Liguria Film Commission) Carlos Rosado Cobiàn – Board member (Film Commission Spain), Christiane Raab – Board member (Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission) Jacques Paul Georges Mer – Board member (Algarve Film Commission).

“I would like to take this opportunity to once again say thank you to the former President, Mr. Arie Bohrer, for all the effort and work he and his board have done from the founding of the network up to today”, commented Truls Kontny. “We will continue to work to raise awareness of our organization and what we can offer. We want to collaborate with the other European film organizations in order to do our best for the audiovisual industry in Europe”.

“When we founded the EUFCN eight years ago, we did not even know how many Film Commissions there were in Europe” adds Arie Bohrer, President of the Association from 2007 to 2014. “In most cases the film industry was not aware of how important and necessary the function of a film commissioner is. Today we are a well-respected organization, and our job is recognized by the industry and governments. In the future I myself will support the EUFCN as much as I can.I wish the newly elected president Truls and the board good luck and every success in their upcoming activities”.

AUSTRIA/JAMES BOND IN TYROL AND STYRIA
James Bond Filming in Austria Brings a Transfer of Value Creation, Employment and Know-How – Austria Profits as a Film and Tourism Location.
Despite tough international competition, the FISA funding model for Film Location Austria served as the basis for convincing the James Bond producers about the advantages of filming in Austria. “After long negotiations, Location Austria, in cooperation with Cine Tirol and Cine Styria, was able to convince the producers that Austria perfectly fulfils the requirements for this project”, says Arie Bohrer/Location Austria.
Starting mid-January 2015, the 24th James Bond film will be shot in different locations in Austria over a period of four weeks. Pre- filming preparations are scheduled to take place in Austria as of December 2014. The crew of over 500 film professionals, including 150 from Austria, will gather together to shoot the film in locations such as Sölden and Obertilliach in Tyrol and Altaussee in Styria. Not only Austrian filmmakers but the entire tourism industry benefits from film productions of such magnitude. Some 30,000 overnight stays were booked for hotels in Tyrol, Carinthia and Styria. The added value of film tourism by moviegoers who identify the Austrian Alps and lake backdrops in a popular film is also becoming increasingly important. One outstanding example is the “Sound of Music” tour in Salzburg, which attracts 300,000 visitors each year.

SPAIN/TAX INCENTIVES IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
The Canary Islands enjoy a special tax regime due to their geographical distance from the rest of Spain. In order to encourage economic and social development, the islands offer a series of tax breaks, which are successfully applied to film production.
Investing in the production of feature films, short films, animation, TV series and documentaries gives the producer the right to deduct 38% on their business tax return and 25% in the case of co-producers. The film obtains a Certificate of Canaries Audiovisual Work and the investor has their tax residence or is established permanently on the Canary Islands. The allowance is calculated on the total cost of production.
Funds obtained from government grants or those from the financial producer do not qualify for the allowance nor do the costs of film distribution, marketing and publicity.
Further information at www.zec.org

FROM SPAIN TO NORWAY/COIXET’S FILM OPENS THE 65TH BERLINALE
The world premiere of “Nobody wants the night”, the most recent work by Spanish director Isabel Coixet, will open the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 5th.
The Spanish-French-Bulgarian co-production takes place in 1908, in the Arctic seclusion of Greenland. The adventure film focuses on the courageous women and ambitious men who staked everything for love and glory.
The ensemble cast includes international stars such as French actress and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche, Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi and Irish film artist Gabriel Byrne. Filming took place in Bul- garia, Norway and Spain.