GREAT LOCATIONS, A 25% INCENTIVE AND A GROWING CREW BASE ARE PUTTING SLOVENIA FIRMLY ON THE FILMING MAP. | Slovenia is positioning itself as one of the best alternative filming spots in Europe thanks to an enticing 25% tax credit, experienced crew and diverse landscapes – from alpine peaks and city streets to beautiful beaches and castles. Two stand-out projects to recently shoot in the Central European country and take advantage of these are season three of The Witcher and action thriller The Union, starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, both from Netflix. The Witcher filmed at a variety of locations across the country, including the striking, medieval Predjama Castle, Postojna Cave, Kranjska Gora, surrounded by mountains and lakes, and St. Jerome’s Church on the Nanos Plateau. While the key location for 2024 movie The Union was the Adriatic coastal town of Piran, known for its Venetian architecture, cobblestone streets and sea views. These proved to be the perfect backdrop, although the logistics for shooting the action shots through the town’s narrow streets was not straightforward. “Maybe one of the biggest challenges was managing the size of the filming crew in Piran, a small and compact town. The beautiful historic streets and squares required careful planning,” says Ira Cecic, a producer and production supervisor at Pakt Media, which provided support for the project. “The narrow lanes and pedestrian areas inaccessible for large vehicles and equipment, forced us to use more flexible setups to move around and we utilised infrastructure in the nearby towns. From a preproduction period onwards, it was paramount for us to work closely with local authorities, residents and businesses to avoid big disruption during the actual shoot, especially since Piran is a busy tourist destination. In the end, our collaborative efforts paid off and Piran was a great shooting location.” The Union was the largest foreign film project undertaken in the country, allocating GBP8.4 million (EUR10 million) to its Slovenian segments, and used more than 300 local crew members. “The fact that the producers of such a large-scale film project decided to film in our country is a confirmation that Slovenia has excellent filming locations, experienced film workers and all the required infrastructure to service even the largest film productions in the world,” insists Natasa Bucar, director of the Slovenian Film Centre, which administers the tax scheme and is working hard to attract more international productions to the country. Main Image: The Witcher © Susie Allnutt / Netflix. |
“FROM A PREPRODUCTION PERIOD ONWARDS, IT WAS PARAMOUNT FOR US TO WORK CLOSELY WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES, RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO AVOID BIG DISRUPTION DURING THE ACTUAL SHOOT.” |
