Brussels, 13/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 12 July, the European Commission endorsed two new funds in The Netherlands for supporting cinema films. The funds take the form of direct grants for the production and the release in cinemas of feature films of cultural value that contribute to the diversity of films in The Netherlands. The Commission's investigation found that the schemes were compatible with the criteria set out in its 2001 communication on state aid for cinema and audiovisual works. The schemes have been approved until 1 July 2013.
The total budget of the new Dutch film funds amounts to €162 million with an annual budget of €27 million. The aid takes the form of direct grants and will, in principle, not exceed 50% of the films' costs, with possible exceptions for difficult and low budget films. In order to be eligible for support under the schemes, cinema feature films need to meet at least three out of seven possible cultural criteria: the screenplay, on which the film is based, is mainly set in the Netherlands or in another member state of the EU or EFTA; at least one of the principal characters is connected with Dutch culture or the Dutch language area; the original screenplay, on which the film is based, is written mainly in the Dutch language; the screenplay on which the film is based is an adaptation of an original Dutch literary work; the main theme of the cinema film concerns art and/or an artist or artists; the main theme of the cinema film concerns historical figures or events; and the main theme of the cinema film addresses actual, cultural, social or political issues relevant to the Dutch population.
The Commission has approved these schemes based on the criteria to assess aid to assist film production set out in its 2001 communication. However, as this communication is due to expire on 31 December 2009, the Dutch authorities have undertaken to make any changes to the schemes that might be required by possible new EU rules. As is the case with other European film support schemes, the new Dutch film funds contain territorial conditions, which require that a proportion of the film production expenditure is incurred in the Netherlands. Such conditions are allowed under the 2001 communication, provided that they do not exceed 80% of the film production budget. In preparation for its review of this communication, the Commission has launched a study, which should be available later this year, to examine the economic and cultural effects of such territorial conditions. (ol)