Vienna Film Incentive to drive Vienna as film location
April 5, 2022
The City of Vienna has announced a €2 million fund for international filmmakers in a bid to attract film productions and television series to film in the destination, especially with the rise of streaming platforms. The initiative is designed to benefit both the tourism and local economies.
A study by TCI, a Brussels-based international online market research company suggests that one in ten visitors decide to visit Vienna because of a film. The Vienna Film Incentive will capitalise on this data to promote Vienna as a destination by helping fund international filmmakers who film at least two full days in the city. With destination-based productions like Emily in Paris creating buzz and attention for their settings, Vienna is poised to join the fray.
In 2021, Vienna served as a setting for around 80 international cinema and TV productions, this has served as a catalyst for Vienna to incentivise production with the Vienna Film Incentive. Past productions demonstrate the economic impact on the city. Netflix spent more than five million euros filming Extraction 2 in Vienna. Preparations ran for around half a year before shooting began and involved 900 Austrian and international workers. Conventional productions also generate considerable investment such as Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation which earned Austria around €3.5 million and brought Tom Cruise to Vienna.
“The Vienna Film Incentive is a contemporary funding instrument. By extending the scope of funding to formats produced for streaming providers, it reflects the latest developments in the filmmaking industry,” explained Executive City Councilor of Finance, Business, Labour, International Affairs and Vienna Public Utilities, Peter Hanke.
“This funding scheme should be seen as a source of assistance with ties to the tourism industry. It is intended to benefit Vienna’s visitor economy – both from a business and tourism perspective,” he added.
The Vienna Tourist Board will act as the point of contact and processing body for the Vienna Film Incentive. Director of the Vienna Tourist Board, Norbert Kettner revealed the rationale, “Film images have been an integral part of the image building toolkit for every destination ever since moving pictures were first shown to an audience in 1895. And now this new source of funding is helping to expand our portfolio. In addition to conventional international marketing communication activities, we are now in a position to instrumentalise film funding as a way to raise awareness among prospective visitors.”
The goal is not just to attract more visitors, but to help generate more immersive experiences and elevate Vienna’s profile on the international scene. By generating more familiarity with the city and its offerings through the big and little screen, the city is investing in its future for the long-run.