HAVING LONG BEEN A FAVOURITE FOR THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR, PORTUGAL’S NEW 30% CASH REFUND WILL HELP DRAW MORE MAJOR PRODUCTIONS TO ITS SHORES. | Portugal is no stranger to major international productions, having hosted hundreds over the years from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service via The Russia House to The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. But they are expecting an even greater influx since the introduction of a 30% cash refund incentive in April 2024 (which can rise to 35% for projects that promote the country’s heritage and sustainability). This works as an incentive of 30% on the first EUR2 million of qualifying local expenditure and will support productions that carry out at least EUR2.5 million of eligible expenses in Portugal. It is designed to complement the existing cash rebate of 25% - 35%, although the two cannot be combined. “The cash rebate will be for small and medium-sized productions and the cash refund for productions with higher budgets,” advises Ana Marques, executive director of the Portugal Film Commission. Projects to take advantage of the cash rebate and shoot locally include Netflix’s Damsel and HBO’s House of the Dragon, which filmed in the historic cities of Monsanto and Alcácer do Sal. Plus, Shadow and Bone season 2 and Netflix’s Heart of Stone, starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, both of which shot extensively in Lisbon using hundreds of local crew. “Heart of Stone was a huge job, one of the first Hollywood sized movies, which we did successfully under budget,” says Margarida Adónis, executive producer and MD at production service company Ready to Shoot. “That was proof that Portugal is up to the level required by the US studios.” Projects are not just shooting in Lisbon either, although that’s where most of the crew are based. There are plenty of other options, including Porto, with its distinct architecture and helpful city council support and the biodiverse Azores archipelago. In the Algarve, locally based Spy Manor Productions has formed a strategic collaboration with Production Algarve and UK-based MovieBox Group, to help attract international productions through local funding and new studio space. Spy Manor is currently working on a high-tech crime drama series called Cold Mind, starring Niamh McCormack (The Witcher). Many of Portugal’s locations can double for a range of countries and producers say securing permission to shoot is straightforward and fees are low compared to other European countries. Main Image: Director Tom Harper, Gal Gadot as Rachel Stone with crew members on the set of Heart Of Stone © Robert Viglasky/Netflix. |
“PROJECTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CASH REBATE AND SHOOT LOCALLY INCLUDE NETFLIX’S DAMSEL AND HBO’S HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, WHICH FILMED IN THE HISTORIC CITIES OF MONSANTO AND ALCÁCER DO SAL.” |
