Chile prepares pilot filming incentive

Per-production payments will be officially capped at $3m, but the programme’s fund will actually be limited to $1.5m for the first year, with an increase to $4.5m in 2018.

Television shows filming in the country will be eligible for a 25% incentive.

“With this pilot programme we’re initiating a process of paving the way and, in some sense, competing with countries where audiovisual production and creation constitute one of the most important influxes for their economy,” said Ernesto Ottone, Chile’s minister of culture.

“These instruments, expanding over time and with greater resources, could come to have an enormous impact on Chile’s position as a creative axis.”

In recent years Chile’s international production profile has related mainly to its appeal as a location for commercial shoots. The country’s Pacific coast highways are popular for car adverts and the Atacama Desert is one of the world’s more accessible wilderness spots for commercial producers.

Chile’s limited film fund means the new incentive will be attracting small-scale shoots in the short-term, but the move is significant step for a country with much to offer international producers.

For more on filming in Chile see our production guide.

Image: iStock.com/nikkafilms