Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The draft law on amendments to the "Law on Cinematography" has been approved at its first reading, AzerNEWS reports.

The draft law was included on the agenda of the National Assembly's February 10 session.

The draft aims to align the legal regulation of film production in Azerbaijan with modern international practices, clarify key definitions, expand institutional mechanisms for state support, and increase the investment attractiveness of the film industry.

The draft introduces expanded and refined terminology for the sector. Specifically, it proposes adding definitions to Article 1 of the Law for terms such as "national film," "foreign film," "co-produced film," "film production," as well as the stages of film production: pre-production, filming, and post-production.

The draft also separately defines "local producer" and "foreign producer." These changes will clarify the legal status of entities, increase transparency in applying state support and incentive mechanisms, and ensure that the term "jointly produced film" replaces "co-shot film" to align with international legal terminology, while improving the clarity and style of the normative-legal text.

Amendments to Article 3 formally establish the engagement of foreign producers in film production in Azerbaijan as a distinct direction of state policy. This step serves to integrate the country into the international film market and to promote cultural diplomacy.

Provisions added to Article 13 stipulate the partial reimbursement of expenses for foreign and co-produced films in accordance with established rules. This mechanism, successfully implemented in many countries, is expected to attract foreign investment, develop the local service sector, and create new job opportunities.

Overall, the adoption of the draft law will modernize the legal framework for cinematography in Azerbaijan, encourage the production of international and co-produced films, attract foreign financing to the country's film industry, and promote Azerbaijan's cultural and creative potential on the global stage. At the same time, it will expand opportunities for collaboration between the public and private sectors.