Georgia’s film industry could become the filmmaking capital of the world thanks to Brexit.
As we pointed out earlier, Brexit could seriously damage the future of the European film industry. But, one particular show may be in real trouble, Game of Thrones.
According to Foreign Policy, the location of Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton’s climatic fight in “Battle of the Bastards” was made possible by the European Regional Development Fund, which was designed to encourage economic growth in underdeveloped areas across Europe. That’s what the fund did for Northern Ireland, as the extra cash attracted Game of Thrones to film there. Now all of that financial support is gone. The local economy won’t be able to grant Game of Thrones cheap access and labor to the those in the area. It’s going to cost a lot more, an HBO may not want to pay the bill.
“It might be up in the air for U.S. studios who want to film in the U.K.,” said Peter Chase, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund in Brussels. “There are E.U. programs to help fund all of this. If the U.K. is no longer part of the E.U., that has the potential to go away.”
And The Game of Thrones is not the only show to suffer because of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. According to CNBC, European Regional Development Fund paid groups like Creative Europe $32 million in assistance over the last seven years. Depending on how the Brexit plays out in the near future, these economic losses could damage Britain’s entertainment industry.
However, it could be a recipe for success for those in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, Georgia provides an unlimited tax credit of 30% for qualified TV shows and movies that decide to film in the state. In addition, in a recent study, the United Kingdom was ranked second for the most TV shows and movies filming in Britain.
If Brexit causes the UK’s film industry to collapse, then expect Atlanta’s film industry to skyrocket and perhaps surpass Los Angeles. That means, it is quite possible that Game of Thrones could be filming a scene on Peachtree street in the next few months. Hey, stranger things have happened.
Via CNBC/Foreign Policy
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