Baku: The concept of ‘Foreign Film’ is being included in legislation, APA reports. According to the proposed amendment to the ‘On Cinematography’ law, discussed at today’s meeting of the Culture Committee of the Milli Majlis, a foreign film is defined as a film produced entirely by a foreign producer or producers.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, a co-production film is jointly produced by local and foreign producers and is not considered a national film. Films co-produced with foreign cinematography companies under the conditions provided for in international agreements ratified by the Republic of Azerbaijan, and meeting the requirements for a national film, may be considered a national film.
The legislation stipulates that a film is considered a national film if the producer is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan or a legal entity registered in Azerbaijan, if the number of non-Azerbaijani citizens in the film crew does not exceed 30 percent, if the film is shot in the Azerbaijani language, and if Azerbaijani cinematography companies handle over 50 percent of the total work specified in the film’s budget. Furthermore, the volume of foreign investments in the film’s production must not exceed 30 percent of the film’s budget value. If these criteria are met, a film jointly produced by local and foreign producers will be considered a national film.