The €11m project shot in Austria last month

Fernando Meirelles’ latest feature 360 has become the first English language production to benefit from the Austrian incentive scheme Film Location Austria (FISA) which was launched last September.

The €11m co-production between the UK’s Revolution Films, Vienna-based Dor Film, France’s Fidélité and Meirelles’ O2 Filmes shot at locations in Vienna last month on its journey around the globe.

The maximum grant possible this year is 15% of FISA’s annual budget, i.e. €1,125,000, and 360 is understood to have been awarded slightly more than 50% of this amount.

Previously, the highest amount paid out by FISA to date – €454,000 – had been for Markus Schleinzer’s Cannes competition film Michael. Actor Karl Markovics’ directorial debut Atmen, which also had its world premiere in Cannes this year, received €340,000.

Apart from 360, the international co-productions supported so far have all been German-language or non-English: Oliver Dieckmann’s Als der Weihnachtsmann vom Himmel fiel, produced by Bavaria Film with Wega Film; Christoph Stark’s Für immer und ewig, produced by Eclypse Film and Film-Line with Luxembourg’s Iris Productions; the Croatian-Austrian-Macedonian children’s film Manusha – Die kleine Romahexe by Tomislav Zaya; and Martin Reinhart and Thomas Tode’s documentary Revolution im Ton.

To date, a total of 21 feature films and documentaries have been supported by the Austrian spend incentive which was established along the lines of the Germany’s German Federal Film Fund (DFFF).

A budget of €20m was made available by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Economics, Family and Youth for this incentive programme over two-and-a-half-years – a maximum of €5m for 2010 and €7.5m each for 2011 and 2012 – for Austrian feature film and documentary projects as well as international co-productions and co-financing deals involving an Austrian partner.

Topics