Kenya Film Commission are working on an incentive with the aim of luring Hollywood filmmakers into the country for the making of Angelina Jolie’s upcoming flick.
The film dubbed Africa, is about the life and times of Kenyan politician, palaeontologist and conservationist, Richard Leakey. However there is a high likelihood that producers will prefer South Africa over Kenya due to the high taxes levied on filmmakers and lack of substantial incentives.
“Regarding the Richard Leakey film, we are in touch with them (producers) and seeing if we can arrange a bespoke incentive package that would work for them and which would be acceptable to Treasury and the KRA,” said KFC chairman, Chris Foot.
“We are currently losing out to countries like South Africa and Morocco on account of the substantial tax rebates that they offer. KFC would like to offer a tax rebate but the ultimate decision will be with Treasury. As an alternative we are putting together an incentive package based on possible tax and VAT exemptions, which we are hoping Treasury will agree to,” added Foot.
The commission revealed that it has become difficult to market Kenya as a film destination mostly due to financial constraints.
“It is vital that we get these big features filmed in Kenya as they bring in substantial revenue, help build our film capacity and skills, provide employment, positively brand the country and ultimately help promote tourism,” Foot said.
-nairobiwire.com
