Fast and Furious 9 shooting in Tbilisi!
Georgia, as a film shooting ground is becoming more and more urgent every day. Several important foreign projects have been implemented as part of the film industry's 'Film In Georgia' incentive component.
In 2016 Enterprise Georgia introduced program “Film in Georgia” that is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and the Ministry of Culture and Monuments Protection of Georgia.
“Film in Georgia” offers 20-25% cash rebate on qualified expenses incurred in Georgia and aims to support the development of Georgia’s film industry, attract international filmmakers to the country and position Georgia as the main Eastern European Filming Destination.
The ninth chapter in Universal Pictures ’Fast & Furious' franchise is set to begin filming in Tbilisi on August 19, 2019 and continue until September 20.
Mikheil Khidureli, the CEO of Enterprise Georgia said: “The main thing is that we made a breakthrough and soon the first Hollywood movie will be shot in Georgia. We offered them a flexible system, fast solutions and a comfortable cash-rebate program. Our willingness to help and accelerate processes were crucial during the decision- making process. This will be not only to the financial benefit for our country; in fact, it will be the most effective marketing activity for Georgia.”
The budget for film production in Georgia is 32 million Laris. Given the scale of the filming and the amount of investment, the project is unprecedented in the country's history.
Locations in Tbilisi and Rustavi have been selected for filming, in particular, Rustaveli and Vazha-Pshavela avenues, Freedom Square, Pushkin, Besarion Jgenti, Avto Varazi and University Streets.
“The project is unprecedented in terms of both the development of the Georgian film industry and the development of tourism. We hope that after the release of the film several thousand tourists will visit our capital and Georgia will be in the focus of various leading film industries, ” said Tbilisi Deputy Mayor Sopho Khuntsaria.
Georgian-French co-production - "Girls of the Sun" - has run for the Golden Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival as part of "Film in Georgia" program.Georgian production company “20 Steps Productions” worked on the movie and the filming, which began in late September, lasted for five months. Due to the specifics of the film, the locations, particularly Akhaltsikhe and Rustavi, were selected for filming.
The aim of the program is to make Georgia an attractive filming center in Eastern Europe. Accordingly, the new component will significantly contribute to the popularization of Georgia with favorable locations and the attraction of foreign filmmakers.
