São Paulo extends 30% incentive for another year

Sao Paulo's film and audiovisual body Spcine has greenlit the second the cash rebate programme offering 30% cash rebate and four times as much funding as 2021.

The initiative is a partnership between the city and the state governments to bolster the audiovisual sector in the region, with a fund of $8m to support national and international productions that select São Paulo as their filming location.

After two high-scale series and a feature film benefited from the first cash rebate in 2021, the scheme will continue to provide further opportunities to facilitate productions in Brazil. And will serve as a major contributor to employment, with the first rebate generating 14,000 jobs.

The São Paulo film commission has also facilitated over 5,000 audiovisual productions - which yielded $2.75bn of direct and indirect economic impact in the city - and has created over 500,000 jobs every year since 2016.

Speaking about the scheme, mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes said: I am excited to see São Paulo innovating once again through our cash rebate, not only because it takes our city and state to screens around the world, but also to generate income and opportunities for our population. I am surprised by the different stories I find daily in São Paulo, thanks to my position that puts me in direct contact with the population. São Paulo is a very cinematic city: in addition to being a metropolis with the most modern and urban features, it also has its unique spaces of nature.

When it comes to diversity, I’d say that it is in the DNA of our population, formed by so many immigrants from different countries and also by the indigenous communities that live here. The Cash rebate will be able to show the unique stories of São Paulo and at the same time foster the city's economy in several sectors, not just the audiovisual one. That's the magic of the creative economy and why it's one of our city's top priorities.

City of São Paulo's secretary of culture Aline Torres added: The audiovisual industry plays a key role in the culture of São Paulo. It is the window through which the world can see the richness of our city and its diverse histories. And for São Paulo to continue advancing in the sector, through public policies, we launched the Cash Rebate 2022, in partnership with the São Paulo State Government.

We have increased resources to further extend the program and look forward to receiving more high-potential projects. In the first edition of our Cash Rebate program, among the projects that received the funds, we had three outstanding productions with international potential to take São Paulo to screens around the globe. Through Spcine and the Municipal Secretary of Culture, we are working to build partnerships with the various agents of the audiovisual industry, from below-the-line professionals, indispensable in the making of any audiovisual production, to big producers and other above-the-line professionals that work in constant exchange with the international market.

Spcine, the second largest film commission in Latin America, reported that more than 40% of productions to date have taken place in the city, and will host the first headquarters of the Latin American & Caribbean Film Commission Network (LAFCN).

Post-pandemic, São Paulo has seen an increase in production largely due to the diversity of locations, highly-skilled production crews, infrastructure and robust financial incentives for national and international productions that choose the city as their filming location. Netflix is also set to invest in 40 new titles in a variety of formats including feature films, series, documentaries, and reality shows, while Amazon announced it would produce a minimum of three original series in Brazil.

President director of Spcine, Viviane Ferreira said: The São Paulo cash rebate brings innovative aspects to attract international productions. The contemplated projects, evaluated using a scoring matrix with objective criteria, will be able to start receiving the resources right after signing the contracts.  Diversity and sustainability come in to make sure that more equitable film productions are selected.

A recent assessment undertaken by international creative industries consultancy, Olsberg SPI, found that Spcine's cash rebate is the first and only audiovisual content production incentive programme in Brazil in this format, and consolidates São Paulo as a regional and global hub for film production. SPI also noted the city for its sustainability by incorporating carbon credits to mitigate CO₂ emissions, and its goal to achieve 100% carbon neutrality on all productions that are central to Spcine’s strategy for the future. 

In terms of supporting a diverse workforce, Spcine is expected to take numerous actions to provide single mothers, women, black and transgender people with disabilities and from indigenous ethnicities, with major roles in audiovisual storytelling - both behind and in front of the camera. 

This year (2022) Spcine will also invest in developing local film professionals through a programme designed for 1,000 creatives to learn audiovisual production and create their own short films. This initiative will support 500 local young film crews as they break into the industry and ensure they are set-ready as São Paulo welcomes more film and TV production to the city.

Spcine is also set to expand the city's screening network and audience reach, with the launch of 10 new screening rooms in low-income areas with low ticket prices as part of the Circuito Spcine programme.