{"id":149683,"date":"2025-11-23T13:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/149683\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T13:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:50:08","slug":"new-zealand-sweetens-film-incentives-eyes-india-co-production-revival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/149683\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand Sweetens Film Incentives, Eyes India Co-Production Revival"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe New Zealand Film Commission<\/a> is mounting a push into the Indian market, unveiling enhanced incentive packages while seeking to revitalize a largely dormant co-production treaty that has been utilized just once in 15 years.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking to Variety ahead of the WAVES Film Bazaar<\/a> in Goa, NZFC CEO Annie Murray outlined significant changes to the country\u2019s International New Zealand Screen Production Rebate that take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The modifications, which Murray said were informed by feedback from the Producers Guild of India, aim to position New Zealand as a more competitive destination for Indian productions of varying scales.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe new incentives really give us a more competitive edge than we had previously,\u201d Murray explained. \u201cWe have aligned the threshold for minimum spend for both feature film, television, and streaming content to NZ$4 million [$2.2 million].\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe lowered threshold represents a substantial reduction from the previous NZ$15 million ($8.4 million) minimum for feature films, bringing it in line with existing requirements for television and streaming projects. Murray indicated the change will enable small to medium-sized independent films to access the rebate, with particular interest from American and Indian producers.<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditional modifications include the removal of the above-the-line cap on claims for roles such as director, producer, principal cast and screenwriter \u2014 which Murray said was a barrier to some productions coming to New Zealand or returning to New Zealand. The threshold for accessing an additional 5% uplift has been reduced from NZ$30 million ($16.8 million) to NZ$20 million ($11.2 million), while the standalone post-production, digital and visual effects rebate now qualifies for a five percent uplift, bringing the total PDV rebate to 25% for qualifying productions.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe commission is making its third visit to India in 12 months, leading a delegation of 13 New Zealand filmmakers alongside key executives including Philippa Mossman (head of international attraction and marketing), Chris Payne (deputy CEO and head of incentives and co-productions), and Te O Kahurangi Waaka (chief advisor M\u0101ori strategy).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe delegation presented at the WAVES Film Bazaar Knowledge Series, emphasizing both co-production opportunities under the New Zealand-India Film Co-Production Treaty and inbound production possibilities. The treaty, signed approximately 15 years ago, has seen limited use beyond Pan Nalin\u2019s \u201cBeyond the Known World,\u201d which was shot roughly a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe realize it\u2019s a diverse and fascinating country with multiple languages and regions that we really want to work with,\u201d Murray said, noting interest in projects from Bollywood, Tollywood and other regional Indian cinema sectors.<\/p>\n

\n\tRecent Telugu-language productions \u201cKannappa\u201d and \u201cGame Changer\u201d filmed in New Zealand locations without utilizing the co-production treaty structure, instead operating as inbound productions. Murray expressed hope that the enhanced incentive packages and sustained outreach will attract more projects of similar scale.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking at the Bazaar presentation, Payne detailed the financial mechanisms available through official co-productions. The structure requires balanced spend, creative contribution and financing between New Zealand and India, with qualifying projects able to access up to NZ$2.5 million ($1.4 million) in NZFC funding plus a 40% cash rebate on New Zealand expenditure.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor productions not structured as official co-productions, the standard inbound production rebate offers 20% on qualifying spend, rising to 25% for projects exceeding NZ$20 million ($11.2 million). The standalone PDV rebate requires a minimum spend of NZ$250,000 ($140,315).<\/p>\n

\n\tTe O Kahurangi Waaka emphasized the importance of cultural protocols and relationship-building in working with M\u0101ori communities, which she described as essential to production processes in New Zealand. She cited the integration of M\u0101ori dance and cultural elements in \u201cKannappa,\u201d facilitated by Rotorua-based producer Piripi Curtis.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s important that we build those relationships based on can we get on with each other, do we actually like and believe in the kaupapa that you have,\u201d Waaka said.<\/p>\n

\n\tMossman outlined New Zealand\u2019s production infrastructure, highlighting two major crew bases in Auckland and Wellington, with Wellington serving as home to companies associated with Peter Jackson and James Cameron. Smaller but significant production bases exist in Christchurch and Queenstown.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cInternational producers and filmmakers tell us all the time about the extent to which the New Zealand workforce really wraps around the creative vision of producers and directors at all levels,\u201d Mossman said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe commission maintains a specialized team providing services including location galleries, budget analysis through line producer consultations, production services coordination and immigration assistance. Murray revealed that direct flights between India and New Zealand are expected to commence by early 2027, eliminating current connection requirements through cities like Singapore.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NZFC\u2019s India engagement builds on momentum from New Zealand\u2019s largest-ever trade mission to India earlier in 2025. The current visit coincides with Robert Sarkies\u2019 mining disaster drama \u201cPike River\u201d having its Asian premiere at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI<\/a>) as part of the Cinema of the World program.<\/p>\n

\n\tMurray referenced the enduring impact of the 2000 Hrithik Roshan-starrer \u201cKaho Naa\u2026 Pyaar Hai,\u201d which was partially shot in New Zealand and resulted in a significant increase in Indian tourist footfall to the country. Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan recently visited Auckland for a screening of the film, which Murray attended.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFilms are also our cultural ambassadors,\u201d Murray said. \u201cThey do a wonderful job of connecting our countries in the same way that sport does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPatricia Watson, executive director of Women in Film and Television New Zealand, is developing a co-production summit for 2026, building on similar initiatives previously conducted with Canada and Germany, to facilitate connections between Indian and New Zealand creatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New Zealand Film Commission is mounting a push into the Indian market, unveiling enhanced incentive packages while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[98000,111,100115,43,139,69,100116],"class_list":["post-149683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-iffi","tag-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand-film-commission","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-waves-film-bazaar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}