The creative industries at the department of trade and industry (dti) has confirmed that details of the new South African Film and Television Production Rebate will be announced before the end of January 2008. Application forms will be available on the website at the end of the month and the rebate will take effect from 1 February 2008. The announcement on the new rebate scheme targeted specifically at the lower-budget films was supposed to be announced in the second half of 2007 and it was expected to give a much needed impetus to local production.
While the dti has still to provide the official announcement of the new rebate structure, the Mail & Guardian (25 Jan) provided some details in an article by Andrew Worsdale. He writes that the rebate “will evidently work with a two-tier structure, giving a 35% rebate to films budgeted between R2,5-million and R6-million; films that cost more will receive a further 25% rebate on the remaining amount.’ Screen Africa confirmed with the dti’s creative industries that these details were not incorrect.
