UK & Austria strike MoU to drive high-end TV production

The Witcher

The British and Austrian film commissions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen ties between the two countries’ screen industries.

The MoU, inked today at the Austrian Film Hub at the Berlin International Film Festival, was struck by the British Film Commission and Film in Austria to support inward investment in film and high-end TV production in both countries.

The agreement also highlights the film commissions’ commitment to facilitating a “frictionless and film-friendly service” which supports productions working in both territories.

New film and TV production incentives were introduced in Austria last month, including Europe’s first Green bonus, while official film and high-end TV production statistics released by the British Film Institute earlier month revealed that inward investment production spend reached a record figure of £5.37bn ($6.46bn) in 2022.

Film and high-end TV productions filmed across both territories include Netflix series The Witcher, feature film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and James Bond action movies Spectre and Quantum of Solace.

Adrian Wootton, chief executive of the British Film Commission, said: “The UK continues to experience remarkable growth in production, generating billions of pounds for the UK economy and thousands of new jobs.

“Providing these opportunities for growth remains vital to the continued success of the industry globally. We are delighted to be building on our relationship with Film in Austria through this new friendship agreement, having previously supported a number of titles filming in both territories from The Witcher to Spectre.”

This latest MoU follows similar agreements struck by the British Film Commission with international counterparts in Norway and Italy last year, as well as Spain in 2021.