Mongolia adopts new cinema law
Mongolia is a land of stunning natural beauty, from vast grasslands to the Gobi Desert, including canyons, ancient sea beds and snow-capped mountains.
During my many visits to Mongolia, I’ve always wondered out loud why more production companies don’t shoot their movies in Mongolia (the obvious logistical issues and lack of infrastructure aside – but hey, they did come the New Zealand Army to build a road for the Lord of the Rings filming).
This does not mean that films have not been shot in Mongolia. These include the award-winning The story of the crying camela German-Mongolian co-production which was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary category at the 77th Academy Awards and won the International Film Critics Award at the 2004 San Francisco International Film Festival and out of paradise, a Swiss-Mongolian co-production that won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Feature Film at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival.
The Mongolian Parliament recently passed a law to promote film production in Mongolia (the Law for the Promotion of Cinematography and Film Production). The law provides, among other things, for the following reimbursements:
- a 30% reimbursement of filming costs if USD 500,000 was spent by the foreign legal entity producing the film on the territory of Mongolia;
- a 10% reimbursement of cultural expenses if the film showcases Mongolia’s unique culture and heritage;
- a 20% incentive to Mongolian filmmakers who have positively promoted Mongolian culture and heritage internationally.
Mongolia is not an easy country to work in (especially because the weather is harsh and unforgiving). But perhaps this law will attract more filmmakers to the beautiful and vast natural landscapes, and introduce more people to the warmth of the Mongolian people.
“We wanted to show that Mongolia is focused on developing a film industry that meets the global standard. Mongolia is ready to host major television studios and work with them to develop the creative industry.