Vanessa McMahon

At the 65th Cannes Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi Film Commission announced its launch of a 30% cash rebate on production spend for any films or media to be shot in Abu Dhabi. This tax incentive will begin on September 1, 2012 and will be the first filming rebate of its kind in the Middle East region. Applications for the rebate must be made 20 days prior to filming and is valid for up to two months after the receipt of official rebate certificate. This includes almost all methods of media filming from documentary and feature films to TV production, commercials, etc. The associates directing the incentive will be a combined effort between the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and Abu Dhabi’s twofour54 media zone.

The attempt here is to bring an influx of film production to Abu Dhabi. In recent years, Abu Dhabi has put itself on the map as a mecca of art and culture in the Middle East with its endeavor to make the world’s first Louvre Museum franchise, a new Guggenheim museum, a handful of some of the world’s best international universities (i.e. LSE AD, NYU AD, Le Sorbonne AD, Vanderbilt AD) as well as host of the annual boutique Abu Dhabi Film Festival which focuses on quality world and art-house cinema with an attempt to bring the world to the Middle East and, through this new filming incentive, the Middle East to the world.

-Written by Vanessa McMahon

Director of Abu Dhabi Film Commission Director David Shepherd
photo by: Vanessa McMahon