Cannes/Abu Dhabi – twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission have launched the region’s first incentive scheme aimed at making Abu Dhabi the first choice for international and regional producers needing location, production and post-production services. The scheme will be operational from September 1st.

An incentive in the form of a rebate of up to 30percent of qualifying spend in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will be available for feature films, TV, documentary, advertising and music video production. The qualifying spend relates to goods and services sourced from Abu Dhabi and for relevant expenditure on location or studio filming and post-production.

Costs relating to the contracting of any UAE registered crew and services for activities in Abu Dhabi is also inclusive. Temporary accommodation costs in Abu Dhabi, as well as airline tickets and freight booked on Etihad Airways, will also qualify for the rebate.

Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of twofour54, explained: “This initiative reflects the culmination of our efforts to put in place all the key ingredients to reinforce our position as the regional hub and first choice, go-to place for producers. We expect to accelerate production activity and in doing so fulfill our objective to further fuel the development of the regional media industry by providing the opportunity for Arab filmmakers, crew and production support companies to work alongside their international counterparts.”