Co-Productions

Co-production is a general term covering a variety of production arrangements between two or more production companies undertaking a TV, film, or another video project. International co-production refers to two or more production enterprises from different countries undertaking such projects.

There are two types of co-productions:

·         Creative control is shared between local and foreign partners, and there is a mix of local and foreign people in creative positions.

·         A straightforward co-financing arrangement in which one partner provides partial funding while another company undertakes the actual production.

To date, South Africa has entered co-production treaties with Canada (1997), Italy (2003), Germany (2004) and the United Kingdom (2007), France (2010), New Zealand (2011) and Ireland (2012). South Africa will continue to enter co-production treaties with various countries for the benefit of the industry.

The effect of these agreements is that a film or TV programme, which is approved as an official co-production, is regarded as a national production of each of the co-producing countries. It thus becomes eligible to apply for any benefits or assistance available in either country. An added advantage is that each of the co-producers brings access to their domestic market.

Co-Production Application and Guidelines

The application procedure for a film to qualify as an official co-production has two steps:

  1. Each co-producer needs to apply for an Advance Ruling from the relevant authority in their home country at least 30 days before principal photography.
  2. At the end of the production, an application for Final Ruling must be completed and submitted together with the required documentation.

The NFVF has prepared guidelines to assist producers in making their application. These outline the procedure and the requirements for submission of projects applying for an advance ruling. To apply for advance or final ruling of a co-production project, please download the guidelines and relevant application form below.

Click on the relevant document title below to download