Australia is becoming one of the key partners in the Indo-Pacific region, for India. In the last 2 years, Australia has shown its soft support to India on global platforms and through agreements on security to audiovisual co-production. In March 2023, India signed an audiovisual co-production agreement with Australia. The minister of information and broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, signed the agreement with the trade and tourism minister of Australia, Senator Hon Don Ferrell. The agreement seeks to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the areas of audiovisual work and also to facilitate cultural, creative and economic exchange.
The agreement will enable the expansion of the audiovisual industry in both countries and contribute to the enhancement of their relations.
Audiovisual Work
The audiovisual (AV) medium refers to all forms of media made up of a combination of sound and visual elements. These include films, television programs, video games, slideshows, live theatre productions, etc. With the expansion in the capacity of what technology can do, audiovisual mediums have become the strongest pillar of today’s information transmission system across the globe. It is a fast mode of transmission which involves the work of a lot of people, creatively.
The government of both countries, India and Australia, understood the relevance of audiovisual mediums in times of rapid globalisation. After the coming of global broadcasting platforms like Netflix and Amazon, everyone can watch audiovisual productions from across the world. Audiovisual productions from a particular country not only create an image of that country in front of the globe but also attract soft power. For instance, American TV shows become relevant to people sitting in various parts of the world while Indian Bollywood songs define what India is for a lot of people.
A Glance at the Agreement
This is a private, quasi-government pact entered by the governments of Australia and India to produce live theatre songs, films or other audiovisual productions together.
“The government has so far entered into 15 such agreements with various countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada.”, said a senior information and broadcasting ministry official. All audiovisual productions having one producer from each country can avail the benefits on tax, import duty, permissions, travel and production cost. A third country can also participate in the co-production, with the limitations of the laws of both countries.
If understood straight, all the projects qualifying under the agreement can claim a payable cash incentive of up to 30% on qualifying expenditure in India, which can be two crores at maximum. Additional reimbursement will also be granted for employing 50% or more manpower from India. Other than the national level benefits, various states have also extended different incentives for foreign film shooting.
This agreement will help India in getting to know innovative technologies and methods of production. It will also enhance business and employment opportunities.
The Ministry of Broadcasting is certain of a revamp in applicant numbers through the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) website. “Single window platforms for filming are being set up in accordance with various state governments and bodies like the Railways, Archaeological Survey of India, etc to simplify the procedure. ‘Invest India’ has now been engaged to run the office of FFO.”, said a senior official to the press.
Films are the most creative, peaceful and radical way of creating awareness about one’s country. In line with this, various embassies inside the capital city conduct regular film screenings to create awareness about their culture and also garner excitement about their country in the minds of Indians.
