New Zealand to Offer Finance for International Development

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – New Zealand, which already has some of the most generous financial incentives for film, is to launch a fund to help develop feature international films and TV series.

The International Co-Development Fund (ICF) expands the current Co-Production Development Fund for official feature film co-productions. It will include the development and/or packaging of drama series official co-productions or series drama projects with market partners such as a sales agent, streaming platform or broadcaster.

The fund will become operational July 1, and be run by the New Zealand Film Commission. It will have an annual pool of $262,000 (NZ$400,000), which is payable to the New Zealand partner in a co-production as matched development funding.

“SeeSaw and Jane Campion’s acclaimed ‘’ and more recent series such as ‘The Dead Lands,’ produced by Matthew Metcalfe’s GFC Films for AMC, [and] ‘Straight Forward,’ produced by Philly de Lacey for Screentime, all showcase New Zealand’s ability to deliver world-class and distinctive drama,” said NZFC CEO Annabelle Sheehan. “We want to support more content at this level.”

The NZFC administers the New Zealand Screen Production Grant for local/official co-production film and television projects (40% cash grant) and international film and television projects (20% cash grant).

The country also has 18 official co-production treaties in Asia and Europe, Australia, Canada, Israel and South Africa.