Cyprus is soon becoming a hot spot for shooting Hollywood movies. Because it is cheap and good for small-budget filmmakers.

Besides scenic beauty, its government is also offering the filmmakers a program called Olivewood which includes a lot of benefits for Hollywood producers. So what are the long-term implications of this Invest Cyprus program? Let us get the details.

Cyprus and the new Hollywood destination

Cyprus is full of natural beauty with white sandy beaches, deep blue seas, hills with olive plantations, several archeological sites, traditional mountain resorts, and sunny skies.

It is fast attracting foreign investors from Hollywood. It is a relatively cheap filming destination like Bulgaria and Romania. Besides, the government of Cyprus is providing incentives to filmmakers who will shoot films there.

The incentive scheme called “Olivewood” offers film producers cash rebates, tax breaks, and other benefits. It is coupled with the Cyprus government’s Invest Cyprus scheme.

The finance and tourism departments are trying to get foreign investments into Cyprus which is a European Union member.

In 2018, the country held the first promotional film conference in Cyprus. There is the promise of tax credits and cash rebates of up to 35% of the funds spent on filming on the island.

Besides, the government is also offering tax discounts on equipment and infrastructure. The island country government has launched a website called A Film in Cyprus for this specific purpose.

The government feels that locals will get more jobs and foreign investment will pour in.

Movies with filming in Cyprus

Nicolas Cage will be starring in a multimillion-dollar sci-fi martial arts movie called Jiu-Jitsu. The producers plan to shoot the whole film on the island.

The adventure movie “S.O.S: Survive or Sacrifice” starring American actor William Baldwin was, the first film to take advantage of this new incentive plan of the Cyprus government. Invest Cyprus chairman Michalis Michael says:

“Cyprus is considered by a lot of people as a studio, a physical, natural (film) studio,”

Actor Nicolas Cage is happy with the island and enjoyed filming on it. Dimitri Logothetis, producer of Jiu-jitsu, and Martins Rozitis, head of the production of S.O.S: Survive or Sacrifice are both happy but speak of the lack of infrastructure on the island.

Cyprus for filming and the limitations

Martins said:

“Definitely we suffer from a lack of equipment and studios,”

He added:

“But still there are very good enthusiastic people here and companies who are starting to provide rentals of studio, cars, equipment,”

Dimitri echoed similar issues and feelings:

“They (Cyprus) don’t have the infrastructure yet but we brought that in. We create our own studio wherever we show up,”

Comparing it with Bulgaria and Romania, Dimitri said:

“You know Bulgaria had nothing, and it’s got a huge studio now, Romania had nothing and now it’s got a huge studio and a lot of infrastructures,”

He is planning a second movie there and hopes that it becomes, a low-cost destination for filmmaking. He states that Hollywood is too expensive for those producers with limited budgets. The government of Cyprus knows, that they need a film school and a studio there to attract more filmmakers to the island. They are working towards it.

Source: The Jakarta Post