New York City looks to woo Indian film industry

Mumbai: New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting commissioner Katherine Oliver is in Mumbai currently and is slated to meet film producers to make them aware of the cess that New York provides for shooting films there.

Oliver said, "Our approach is to look at this industry strategically, understand our consumers and target them. We are here to understand the needs of the Indian film community and figure out international collaborations. I am slated to meet Indian film industry professionals and talk to them about the benefits of shooting their movies in New York City."

Oliver informed that NYC offers free permits, locations, police assistance and a 35 per cent tax incentive for below-the-line production spends. Additionally, the city also offers a Made in New York film production tax credit facility. To further generate entertainment business and connect productions with local businesses at no cost, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, in conjunction with HSBC Bank has launched the Made in New York discount card programme. This discount card is intended to encourage patronage at participating businesses with the city's five boroughs, by providing a minimum discount of 10 per cent.

Yash Raj Films chairman Yash Chopra said, "My meeting with Oliver has been a very educative one. We are currently shooting our movie in New York and we have received tax discounts, facilities, free security cops to look after our unit amongst other things. With all these benefits we tend to save a lot of money and hence can make our films in a much lesser budget than before. New York has a culture of its own and Mumbai and NYC are almost like twin cities."

Oliver will be holding an open house in Mumbai's JW Marriot this week wherein filmmakers interested in knowing more about shooting in New York can walk in and get all the information desired.

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