CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN POLAND AND NEW ZEALAND

On October 21, Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage Małgorzata Omilanowska and New Zealand’s Ambassador to Poland Wendy Hinton signed the co-production agreement between Poland and New Zealand.

Agreement on Film Co-Production Between Poland and New Zealand

The agreement between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of New Zealand on film co-production regulates issues of co-operation on film co-production between the two countries. Both parties are required to consider films made in co-production as domestic productions, according to the internal regulations of each state. The agreement also covers the requirements for a project to be considered a co-production between Poland and New Zealand.

There is also the possibility to implement supervision over the implementation of the agreement by installing a Joint Commission. The agreement was signed by Małgorzata Omilanowska, Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and Wendy Hinton, New Zealand’s Ambassador to Poland.

The idea for signing a bilateral agreement on film co-production first appeared in January 2013, when New Zealand’s Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson was visiting Poland.

Poland: New Partner for New Zealand’s Film Industry

Films and filmmakers from New Zealand are recognized around the world, and the country’s landscapes have appeared in many major films. The Polish film industry could be a welcome partner for New Zealand. The system of financial support for film production in New Zealand does not allow for co-financing film co-productions without official international co-production status based on bilateral agreements with respective countries. To date, New Zealand has entered into 15 such international agreements.

Film production in New Zealand is supported through the New Zealand Film Commission, which provides financing within the framework of its several support programmes.

Thanks to the high potential of the New Zealand film industry, the implementation of the agreement between Poland and New Zealand will foster increased cooperation between the filmmaking communities of both countries, cooperation between producers and other companies active in film production, and will facilitate promotion of Polish film culture in New Zealand. The agreement with New Zealand is the fifth international agreement on co-production signed by the Polish government. Similar agreements have previously been signed with Canada (1996), Israel (2004), France (2012), and India (2012).

Source: MKiDN.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun