Written by Tom Deehan on May 17, 2017. Posted in On Location / Production News

Vicky Jewson’s Close becomes first recipient of the new Thailand film incentive

Vicky Jewson’s upcoming film about a group of elite female bodyguards, entitled Close, will become the first recipient of Thailand’s cash rebate incentive. Productions that spend a minimum of THB50 million can receive a 15% cash rebate, alongside several potential uplifts that can raise the incentive to 20%.

Worateera Suvarnsorn, Director of the Thailand Film Office explains: “we are delighted that the process of application and approvals for the new incentives has run according to schedule, and that we are able to announce the first qualifying production. We look forward to more productions in the next applications period.”

Vicky Jewson adds: “obviously I was aware of a number of productions that have shot in Thailand, but I truly wasn't aware of the depth of film experience and the sophistication of the infrastructure. Often the sort of clients who require protection are the super-rich, and so we wanted to find an environment which can cater to the millionaire lifestyle, but we also wanted to contrast that with a vibrant, colourful, street-level atmosphere. Bangkok has so much texture and so many layers. Our scout surpassed my expectations.”

Thailand’s production industry has witnessed a surge in popularity over the last year, as the country saw a total of 779 international productions shoot on location throughout 2016. The first quarter of 2017 alone has seen 239 international projects shoot within the country, bringing with them a total spend BHT900 million.

Thailand’s more notable projects as of late have included Kickboxer: Retaliation and Land of Smiles. Close will begin principal photography next month.