Sounds like an economically good solution. But: “When we describe this to the responsible people in the ministries and cabinets, we are listened to with emotion. But I doubt that people are aware of the implications,” says Lueftner. After all, this is also about Austrian content and identity.
For MR film producer Oliver Auspitz, the consequences of a stop are obvious: “That means the almost complete migration of film productions.”
One possibility would be Germany, for example, because the corona compensation there is constantly being extended and the funding situation is better overall. The second would be to migrate to one of the neighboring states to the east, where subsidies and looser labor laws would alleviate the burden of corona absences.
“In Prague, Budapest or Bratislava, the employment contracts are such that you don’t get paid when a production is finished. But no one in Austria would want our employees to have to take such a risk,” says Auspitz.
Two and a half months before the application option expires, politicians are unable to come up with a clear answer. “Deliberations on a possible extension of the comeback subsidy are being made in line with extensions of other Covid aid measures,” said the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which manages the fund.
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