Estonia's Bigger Film Rebate Draws a Rush of Applications
Estonia raised its cash rebate for film productions from 30% to 40% in April, and filmmakers moved quickly. A cash rebate is money paid back to a production as a share of what it spends in the country. Within two hours of the change, Film Estonia had received 12 applications worth €5.8 million ($6.4 million), according to Variety.
More followed. Another 16 submissions arrived between April and October, adding €6.4 million in rebates.
Estonia is not new to international filming. Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" put the country on the global production map in 2019. The country now wants more of that work to stay local, and it is building the space to host it.
The Ida Hub film complex opened for business in mid-October in Ida-Viru County, in the northeast of the country. It has two sound stages, large soundproofed rooms where sets are built and scenes are shot. One measures 1,200 square metres and the other 2,000 square metres. The project cost $18.2 million and was partly funded by the European Union. It is run by three partners: the Ida-Viru Investment Agency, the Ida-Viru Business Centre (known as IVEK) and Tehnopol.
A second studio is also in the works. Tallinnfilm Studios, with three purpose-built sound stages totalling 2,630 square metres, is set to rise close to Tallinn Airport by 2028.
Edith Sepp heads the Estonian Film Institute, the national body that supports film in the country.
Industry guests attending Tallinn's Black Nights Film Festival will have a chance to see the new facilities. They are invited to tour Ida Hub on 21 and 22 November.
