(GIST OF YOJANA) Ease of Filming in India

(JANUARY-2024)

Ease of Filming in India

Ease provide of Filming a to supportive filmmakers in India is and an to exercise friendly shoot and complete their projects. It allows them to explore a vast eco-sphere of film making resources at global competitive prices India offers cultural richness and diversity, talented production resources, and various filming hubs with a range of production and post-production facilities pan India. India’s geography allows a foreign filmmaker to explore deserts, rivers, mountains, beaches, rural, and urban landscapes within the same country.

Measures need to be taken:

The Ease of Filming regime in the country works through the following measures:
a. Issuance of Film (F) Visa to foreign filmmakers for film shooting and recce
b. Appointment of Nodal Officers in Indian Missions abroad

c. Appointment of Nodal Officers in State/UT governments and Central Government Departments/agencies
d. Integration with the National Single Window System for facilitating permissions for film shooting
e. Facilitating entry of film equipment by foreign filmmakers into India
f. Providing financial incentives to
i. Foreign filmmakers shooting in India
ii. Filmmakers officially co-producing films with an Indian partner
g. FDI through automatic route

A National Ranking system of the most film friendly States in the country is brought out annually by the Ministry on basis of the ease of filming parameters in the States. Some of the statistics regarding film facilitation by FFO are:

197 international projects from 39 countries
20 official co-productions from 10 of the 16 countries that have Audio Visual Co-production Agreements
129 domestic project facilitations since 2019
More than 1500 film visa facilitations

Issuance of Film Visa

The Union Government introduced a special category of visa called the "film (F) visa in 2016 for the cast and crew of foreign productions that are accorded filming permission by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This visa can be granted for a one year multiple entry that would enable the project to be undertaken in multiple schedules.

Film Incentives

The audio visual sector in India has been listed under the ‘Champion Services Sector’, an umbrella scheme of the Government to support sectoral initiatives. Under this scheme, the Ministry has announced an incentive scheme for foreign filmmakers who wish to produce the films in India.

FDI through Automatic Route

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100% has been enabled in the film and television projects through the automatic route.

Conclusion:

The ease of filming through a series of incentives and facilitation thus brings in more foreign projects into the country, leading to benefits such as boost to the economy in increased spending on goods and services such as hospitality and tourism; creation of local jobs of various skill-sets involved in film making; promotion of tourism indirectly through featuring of tourist locations; cultural promotion of local stories, talents; promotion of Indian post-production services such as visual effects, sound designing, virtual reality, and furthering of soft power of the country.