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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jordan Seeks To Entice International Productions With Bolstered 45% Cash Rebate
Jordan's Royal Film Commission has boosted its cash rebate for international film and TV production to 45%, as part of a bolstered offering of film and TV production incentives, unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday The new package of incentives, which was approved by the Jordanian cabinet on Sunday, aims to support the local film industry at the same time as bolstering Jordan's position as a destination for international film and TV productions. More from Deadline Sweetened New York Production Incentives Take Stage At State Budget Hearing El Gouna Film Fest Unveils Palestinian, Lebanese, Jordanian & Egyptian Talents Selected For Inaugural Cinegouna Emerge Rising Stars Initiative Oscars: Jordan Selects Doc 'My Sweet Land' For International Feature Film Race With its world heritage sites such as Petra and stunning desert landscapes, which include Wadi Rum, Jordan has worked hard to establish itself as shooting destination over the past two decades with productions touching down in the territory including Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Dune 2, JJ Abrams' Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker, and Guy Richie's Aladdin. Instability in the region, in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel and the resulting Israeli military campaign in Gaza, has dented the territory's popularity, even though a handful of ambitious regional productions have shot there since. The country is out in force at Cannes this year with a campaign to kick-start its international production business, and make it more competitive alongside other locations in the MENA region offering attractive incentives. The new package includes a scalable cash rebate ranging from 25% to 45% on qualifying in-country spend, determined by a points-based system assessing the project's size, incorporation of Jordanian cultural content, and its artistic, cultural, and economic value. Projects with production expenditures exceeding $10 million and integrating Jordanian cultural elements can qualify for the maximum rebate of 45%. For local productions, the rebate has been raised from 10% to 30% for projects with spending over $500,000—part of a broader effort to empower Jordanian producers and stimulate the domestic production industry. Mohannad Al-Bakri, Managing Director of the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, said of the new package: 'The amendments aim to enhance Jordan's competitiveness as a major film production hub in the region by creating a supportive environment that fosters creativity, provides robust infrastructure, and facilitates the exchange of expertise, training, and knowledge transfer. They also aim to boost film tourism by promoting filming locations and highlighting Jordanian cultural identity and heritage in global productions.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S.-Based Shadowbox To Oversee Jordan's Olivewood Studios Under New Partnership
EXCLUSIVE: Shadowbox has partnered with Jordan's Olivewood Studios and will manage the film studio's operations. Shadowbox Studios owns the Shadowbox Atlanta site and the sizeable Shinfield Studios facility in the UK. Under new COO Mike Mosallam it is branching out further and offering its expertise to third parties – helping them to either establish or operate their studio complexes. More from Deadline Jordan Seeks To Entice International Productions With Bolstered 45% Cash Rebate Shadowbox Studios Hires Industry Veteran Mike Mosallam As COO & Sets New Leadership Team El Gouna Film Fest Unveils Palestinian, Lebanese, Jordanian & Egyptian Talents Selected For Inaugural Cinegouna Emerge Rising Stars Initiative Olivewood was completed in 2023 and is the first purpose-built complex of its kind in Jordan. Located in the capital city of Amman, it has two soundstages and a backlot. With its world heritage sites such as Petra and desert landscapes, which include Wadi Rum, Jordan has established itself as a key MENA shooting destination over the past two decades with productions touching down in the territory including Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Dune 2, JJ Abrams' Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker, and Guy Richie's Aladdin. The country's film production history stretches back to the early 1960s when it hosted the shoot of Lawrence of Arabia. Instability in the region since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Southern Israel, however, has dented its appeal to international production. Jordan's Royal Film Commission was out in force in Cannes on a drive to reboot its international locations business. It announced the country was raising its cash rebate for film and TV production to 45% and also told Deadline that a big incoming international production was on the horizon. The Shadowbox team was also in Cannes, talking up the support services it is offering studios and production, which range from planning services for producers to full studio management. 'Jordan has shown the world its incredible locations in films from Dune and Aladdin to The Martian and Star Wars, and through our exciting partnership with Shadowbox we are thrilled to expand our worldwide reach to international filmmakers,' said Raja Gargour, Chairman of Olivewood Studios in Amman. Jumana Sharbin, the General Manager of Olivewood, added: 'Bringing Shadowbox's global expertise to Olivewood marks a pivotal step in our growth. Their operational strength and industry insight will be key as we scale up and deliver world-class productions in Jordan.' Mosallam joined Shadowbox earlier this year after stints at Apple TV+ and Netflix. He has put together a new leadership team and one priority was ramping up work with other studios such as Olivewood. 'After visiting Jordan late last year, my team and I were astonished by the breadth of available landscapes and the production service infrastructure already in place at Olivewood,' he said. 'Now with the benefit of sound stages, the Kingdom is well-positioned to house and host domestic and international productions of any size.' Melanie Goodfellow contributed to this article. Best of Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2
