Written by on Nov 1, 2013. Posted in Incentive News

Producer praises Thailand crews and advocates national filming incentive

A producer on new drama feature The Coup has praised Thailand’s crew base but has also advocated the launch of a national filming incentive in the country. The Coup will tell the story of a US family caught in a military uprising in South-East Asia.

“The producers of The Coup had a wide choice of countries in which they could have based this production,” said Chris Lowenstein, founder and Executive Director of Thai production company Living Films: “The fact that they chose Thailand is a great testament to the skills of the Thai crews and the resources that Thailand offers. We are delighted to help bring this project to the screen.”

Producer David Lancaster previously filmed on location in Bangkok for Nicolas Winding Refn’s dark crime drama Only God Forgives, which starred Ryan Gosling (above). The producer said Thailand should consider launching a formal filming incentive programme to help attract more international productions.

“It is definitely an issue,” Lancaster explained, “as more and more countries have moved into the area of incentives. We only hope that Thailand can follow suit as the country already has a terrific crew and equipment base in place.”

Thailand has become a popular filming location in recent years, especially for Japanese and Indian productions. Hollywood has visited on occasion, with recent high-profile productions including The Hangover Part II.

More countries have moved into the area of incentives. We only hope that Thailand can follow suit as the country already has a terrific crew and equipment base in place.

David Lancaster, Producer

The country’s incentive situation was addressed at the Thailand International Film Destination Festival in Bangkok earlier this year. American producers reiterated the fact that despite Thailand’s low production costs, the US studios increasingly refuse to even consider filming locations that lack any kind of formal incentive.

To read more about filming Only God Forgives click here.

(Only God Forgives photo: Wild Bunch)