Cyprus is becoming a well-established attraction for major film production companies

New great prospects seem to be opening up for Cyprus thanks to Invest Cyprus’ effort in recent years to promote the country as a leading destination for the production of motion pictures, and more, with the island establishing itself firmly on the world film industry map and increasingly becoming a key attraction for large and renowned production companies.

Indeed, 13 productions are currently underway in Cyprus, which according to the Director and Chairman of the Cyprus Film Commission, Lefteris Eleftheriou, is something “we could never have imagined a year ago”.

As he told InBusinessNews, the productions involve six movies, six reality shows and one British series – all, as he said, high level productions.

One of the productions is by Stelana Kliris, the director behind the hugely popular film Find Me Falling, which topped the Netflix Top 10 lists of the most-watched TV and films when it was released. There are also productions from Germany, France and Israel, as well as reality shows by big Scandinavian companies.

Read more: New Stelana Kliris production in the works – as Film Commission takes huge step in US

Read more: Find Me Falling tops Netflix Global 10 weekly list of most-watched films

Eleftheriou said the latter have even stated that they are satisfied with the conditions they encountered in Cyprus, whether that involves the quick response of the Ministry of Finance to their rebate payments or the quality of Cypriot professionals.

Asked if any of these 13 productions stand out and look to be a great success, Eleftheriou explained that you cannot know in advance how successful a production will be, adding that "when Find Me Falling was being filmed, we didn't know it would be such a big success. It topped the Netflix most-viewed worldwide for two weeks”.

Prominent production companies in Cyprus

Asked about his thoughts on the state incentives scheme for the audiovisual industry, which was launched in 2018, Eleftheriou said Invest Cyprus was very pleased with how it was going.

The Cyprus Filming Scheme includes a number of incentives designed to encourage the filming and production of movies and audiovisual content in Cyprus. Applicants can choose from tax credits or cash rebates in combination with a tax deduction for investments in infrastructure and VAT returns on expenditure.

“Bar the pandemic period, when there was generally limited activity, and if we take into consideration that this was when the scheme essentially kicked off, our scheme really got into motion in 2022,” said Eleftheriou.

The scheme has drawn major production companies to Cyprus, he added, such as Paramount, Warner Bros, Channel 5, Channel 4 and Canal+, while at the same time several jobs have been created.

According to Eleftheriou, today Cyprus is able to attract companies that are big names in the field, with a history in the cinema and audiovisual industry, which – it is worth noting – apply extensive due diligence before proceeding with their productions.

“They are very well aware of our history, our capabilities, what we offer and how competent we are as a filming destination. And believe me we pass the tests. This is the reason why large foreign companies return to Cyprus for new productions," he said.

Fine Me Falling a milestone – eyeing up the USA

In fact, applications for productions in Cyprus have continued unabated and for a significant number of films, filming will begin in 2025.

"I want to believe and we are optimistic that the trend will be increasing compared to this year," noted Eleftheriou, who believes that the success of Find Me Falling has opened new horizons in Cyprus.

"They have got to know us well at Netflix, which is the number one platform in the audiovisual industry worldwide, but also other platforms such as Amazon Prime, film companies that came to Cyprus and independent professionals, who have expressed their intention to carry out productions in Cyprus and we are in contact with them," he added.

It is noted that from 2025 onwards, Invest Cyprus will for the first time also target the USA, a market where it has already started some contacts.

“To date, we had not done any promotion in the US as an agency. We wanted to take it step by step and initially we aimed – and are aiming – at Europe. European countries and especially the UK, which is a good customer of ours, will always be our target," he further explained.

The sector’s contribution to the economy

Without counting the other connected operations (catering, hotels, restaurants, etc.) and related expenses, which are also significant, the audio-visual industry contributes a lot to the economy, if we consider that at the level of pre-production, production and post-production, more than 300 Cypriots are employed.

In fact, the evaluation committee, chaired by Lefteris Eleftheriou, is promoting changes to the relevant plan, that will force producers to hire Cypriot audiovisual students during their filming.

This way, said Eleftheriou, students will gain the necessary experience and create useful contacts with professionals, enabling them to make their own businesses or productions after their studies.

“We have prepared it and hope that it will be examined by the Finance Ministry, which is the competent authority, soon,” said Eleftheriou.

Beyond the above, the Cyprus Film Commission plans to implement green policies for the protection of the environment, which according to the commissioner is something the production companies themselves have been asking for.