Austria Film Biz Booming as Locations, Incentives Lure International Productions

variety.com:

Ed Meza @edmezavar Austria can celebrate a huge success as a filming location thanks in large part to attractive funding programs that have lured major international productions to the country, among them Guy Ritchie’s “Fountain of Youth” and Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger” reboot, while also boasting a strong lineup of local works at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

Introduced in 2023, the incentives, known as FISA Plus and ÖFI Plus, can cover as much as 60% of costs for international film productions.

In addition to magnificent natural landscapes, medieval towns and striking cities, a new state-of-the-art studio complex in Vienna now offers a comprehensive range of services to support productions in the Austrian capital. “Since the launch of the FISA Plus funding program two years ago, Austria has emerged as a strong player in the film industry,” says Austrian Film commissioner Nina-Anica Keidies.

Indeed, the new incentive led to 162 projects supported with a total of €144 million in funding, 3,895 shooting days in Austria during 2023 and 2024 and €465 million ($482 million) in economic impact generated for the country’s economy, according to Austrian labor and economy minister Martin Kocher, who describes film funding as “a lever for value creation.” “These impressive figures underline the attractiveness of FISA Plus for the film industry, which has enabled us to bring many international projects or large parts of them to Austria,” Kocher adds.