São Paulo launches cash rebate scheme worth up to $2.5 million for international productions filmed in the city

The São Paulo city government will provide cash rebates of 20 per cent to 30 per cent for foreign films, series and commercials made in São Paulo in a move that is a first for Brazil. The new scheme, which was ratified on Friday, will require a minimum local spend of $500,000.

Spcine, the São Paulo Film and Audiovisual Agency, announced in December last year that São Paulo would be launching a cash rebate scheme for international productions, it was reported widely at the time, in vehicles like screendaily.com and Variety magazine. The scheme was ratified on February 28, 2020 and came into effect in the second half of the year, offering a valuable incentive for advertisers, television production companies and filmmakers to bring their productions to São Paulo. Spcine has said it hopes to open the scheme for applications by the beginning of April.

São Paulo is already becoming a Latin American hub for audiovisual productions. The city hosts more than 1,000 productions on average each year, and represents 25 per cent of Brazil’s film market, according to the director of Spcine. It’s the financial, cultural and technological capital of Brazil. Its ethnic and architectural diversity, as well as its cutting-edge audiovisual equipment and high-class talent pool make it a producer’s dream, as we explore in depth in our guide to filming in São Paulo .

The cash rebate is a first for Brazil and will reimburse 20 per cent to 30 per cent of local expenditure by international productions for films, series and commercial productions. The minimum local spend required is $500,000 with a rebate cap of $2.5 million. Spcine has published top-level details about the cash rebate on their website but has shared some of additional criteria with Story Productions for how to access the maximum possible rebate of 30 per cent.

The four different types of production that qualify are:
 
1) INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS FILMED IN SÃO PAULO:

• Will be reimbursed up to 30 per cent of the total amount spent;
• Will require a minimum local spending of R$2 million (approx. $500,000) for feature films (live action or animation) and series.

2) BRAZILIAN PRODUCTIONS FILMED IN SÃO PAULO WITH GREAT INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL:

• Will be reimbursed up to 30 per cent of the total amount spent;
• Will require a minimum local spending of R$2 million (approx. $500,000) for feature films (live action or animation) and series.

3) INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL CAMPAIGNS FILMED IN SÃO PAULO:

• Will be reimbursed 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the total amount spent;
• Will require a minimum local spend of R$2 million (approx. $500,000)

4) INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS THAT PROFILE SÃO PAULO IN THE NARRATIVE OR A CHARACTER

• Is an incentive of up to R$1 million (approx. $250,000) for scripts to feature São Paulo
• Valid for feature films, live action or animated films;
• Doesn’t require the production to be shot in São Paulo.

International productions that qualify for the cash rebate will be required to get authorization to film in Brazil from the Brazilian Film Agency (ANCINE) and to partner with a local production company, which is responsible for obtaining the ANCINE authorization. Story Productions organizes the ANCINE authorizations for many of our international clients, from Fortune 500 companies like Facebook to some of the world’s largest production companies including Leopard USA , IMG Productions and Sharp Entertainment.

Read the latest of the opening of this important scheme for foreign productions here. Let us help you make the most of all that São Paulo has to offer your next production. Get in touch.