Czech Cinematography Fund to give extra 92 million crowns to local cinemas and film projects

Prague, May 13 (CTK) – The State Cinematography Fund Council (SFKMG) will earmark an additional 92 million crowns in support of Czech filmmakers to help them overcome the financial decline caused by the coronavirus crisis and has put up three bids in this respect, fund spokesman Jiří Vaněk told CTK today.

The support will primarily go to the areas of the film industry that would be the first to need a fast restart, such as the reopening of cinemas and the development and distribution of film projects, council chairwoman Helena Bendová said.

“As it is crucial that the measures are taken fast at present, the council will exceptionally decide on the support distribution without expert analyses,” Bendová added.

The first bid, in which 50 million crowns will be distributed, is designated for cinemas to support their reopening, mainly securing their safe operation in connection with the COVID-19 epidemic, the promotion of Czech and European films, and other necessary activities.

The second bid with 20 million in total focuses on the development of feature films, documentaries, and TV series from independent producers.

A five-million sum for film distribution was increased by another five million in a new continuous bid.

Additionally, the SFKMG has allocated 12 million crowns in reserves to aid previously supported or threatened projects.

The SFKMG is the biggest supporter of Czech cinematography. It receives almost one billion crowns a year from the Culture Ministry’s budget, of which some 800 million go to film incentives and 182 million to domestic film production.

The fund gains the same sum from TV commercials, licenses for some films, and cinema ticket sales. Consequently, it annually spends more than 300 million crowns in support of Czech cinematography.

Last year, film incentives were depleted by July due to high interest, so the state raised them by an additional 500 million crowns. They brought almost nine billion crowns to the Czech Republic in 2019, the highest sum to date, and almost twice more than the year before.