Hungary Lifts Cap on 30% Film Production Incentive
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- Péter Magyar's new Hungarian government removed the cap on new registrations for the country's 30% film production incentive, a freeze introduced by the outgoing administration in 2024.
- Ervin Nagy, Hungary's state secretary for culture, framed the move as 'a new chapter' in cooperation with the film industry, asserting that the incentive's annual allocation pays for itself through its multiplier effect.
- Hungary ranks as Europe's second-biggest film production hub and has hosted major Hollywood productions including 'F1: The Movie,' the 'Dune' films, 'The Brutalist,' and 'Poor Things.'
- Recent productions currently filming in Hungary include Amazon MGM Studios' 'Alone at Dawn,' season 2 of NBCUniversal's 'The Day of the Jackal,' 'The Nightingale' starring Dakota and Elle Fanning, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action-thriller 'The Kellys,' and 'Dinner With Audrey' with Thomasin McKenzie and Ansel Elgort.
- Hungary was the first country in Central Europe to introduce a film incentive scheme, back in 2004, with the 30% rebate extendable to 37.5% when productions include 7.5% of non-Hungarian costs.
- The National Film Institute guarantees the rebate system through a state-operated collection account, with financial support delivered as a post-financing cash rebate.
Why it matters: By unfreezing new applications for the 30% rebate (extendable to 37.5%), Hungary's new government restores predictability for international producers — including those already on the ground like Amazon's 'Alone at Dawn' and 'The Day of the Jackal' Season 2 — and locks in the country's place as Europe's second-largest production hub after a year of registration limbo.
