James Mangold’s action comedy Knight & Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, has become the target of protests from Austrian film-makers after receiving $448,455 (€300,000) in support from the Salzburg authorities.

Local film-makers have criticised city officials for handing over the sum when the local film subsidy is only $760,459 (€507,000). The money for the production, which is due to shoot from November 19, has been taken from the city’s economic support fund rather than its arts budget.

Speaking to local paper Krone-Zeitung, Hermann Peseckas, a local independent producer-director, said: “That is just an expensive photo-opportunity for [Salzburg head of tourism] Wilfried Haslauer. Salzburg is being sold as a backdrop while the artistic film is impoverished. I think that Salzburg’s fascade doesn’t need a €300,000 commercial.”

Knight & Day was originally scheduled to shoot in the city for up to three weeks but it now been cut to less than seven days; however, this has not affected the financial support it has received.

According to one source, €1.2m will be spent in the city during the shoot due to the 200-strong production team.

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