04/05/2016 - On Monday the Brussels Region officially presented its new audiovisual support platform, Screen.brussels

Following in the footsteps of Flanders and Wallonia, the Brussels-Capital region has got itself an independent economic support fund for the audiovisual sector. Up until a few months ago, the Brussels region shared a fund with Wallonia, the Wallimage/Bruxellimage line of investment. The new fund, Screen.brussels, aims to improve the visibility of the audiovisual offering in Brussels whilst developing a local marketing strategy based on the ambition that every euro invested will inject 4 into the Brussels economy. "We’re helping a creative sector that needs it whilst also working on our economic failings. Brussels is doing very well in light of the number of films that are filmed here and it’s now important, following the attacks, that we restore its image”, explained the Minister-President of the Region, Rudi Vervoort. The Minister for the Economy, Didier Gosuin, pointed out that the audiovisual sector provides 15,000 jobs in Brussels, close to 65% of jobs in the sector at national level, according to figures from 2013.

The Screen.brussels Fund co-production fund will be worth €3,000,000 a year, the same amount granted under the joint Wallimage/Bruxellimage line. Funding will be allocated to Brussels-based production companies for up to a maximum of €500,000 per fictional, documentary or animated film (€20,000 per web series).

Moreover, the Screen.brussels Film Commission will provide support in scouting out shooting locations. In 2015, almost 40 feature films were shot in the Brussels region, and included Belgian films (Black [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Martha Canga Antonio
film profile], The Brand New Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile]), French films such as Les Visiteurs 3 [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and La Tour 2 Contrôle Infernale [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and international films of the likes of The Danish Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paco Delgado
film profile] and Eternity [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Tran Anh Hung. Dany Boon is, incidentally, currently filming his new film, Raid Dingue [+see also:
trailer
film profile], there.

Screen.brussels Business will provide support in the form of a loan or capital for Brussels-based SMEs operating in the audiovisual sector, and Screen.brussels Cluster will provide networking opportunities for the companies involved, of which there are currently 130.

(Translated from French)