Culture Minister Raluca Turcan said on Friday in Iasi that her ministry will support Romanian film productions, mentioning at the same time that by the end of June all applications from recent years will be assessed to see where the ministry failed to meet its contractual obligations.

„We will launch a new call to support the filmmaking industry, under a cash-rebate scheme for funding co-productions, and in the new call we will make the funding conditions for the debut of film productions more flexible. In terms of filmmaking support, there were instances of the Romanian government being millions of euros in debt to productions companies, but we have already started to pay those debts and by the end of June, I believe, we will evaluate all applications submitted in 2020,” Turcan told a news conference.

She added that the new filmmaking legislation will be amended to secure the necessary financial support for new productions, and a new funding line will open for well-established producers.

„There are two big filmmaking projects that I am supporting. One is related to an aid scheme for major film productions. It is a scheme that has existed since 2018, for which the state remained overdue, did not meet any commitment. When I took over as the culture minister, I tried to solve this situation. There are applications submitted as far back as 2018, they are overdue, with many lawsuits pending, with final payment decisions from the Romaniangovernemnt. Under this scheme, we are paying some debts, and we are going to launch a new call because Romania was the only country in Europe that did not have this aid scheme for large productions. As far as the debut part is concerned, we will amend the filmmaking legislation. We will support producers and artists who are at the beginning of their journey in filmmaking. Even Cannes films were financed through the National Film Council.”

Friday was Turcan’s second day in Iasi. She visited several local cultural organisations, including the State Philharmonic of Moldavia, discussing with representatives of the local administration how to identify new mechanisms to support and develop the cultural sector in Iasi County and to accelerate projects already started and financially supported by the Ministry of Culture.

At the end of the first day of her visit, Turcan participated in the third edition of the Palace Ball, organized at the Palace of Culture and the Athenaeum in Iasi.

On Friday, the second day of his visit to Iasi, she attended a news conference on the „Romanian Film Evenings” festival, an event marking the anniversary edition of the only film festival in Romania dedicated entirely to local cinema, funded by the Ministry of Culture.

AGERPRES