MUMBAI: India and Germany have signed an agreement on audio-visual co-production in Berlin last evening. India’s minister of information and broadcasting and parliamentary affairs Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and German foreign minister Dr. Frank- Walter Steinmeier signed the agreement.

The agreeement would contribute to facilitating co-operation in the film, videography, documentary, animation and audio industry in the two countries. The agreement would lead to the intensification of the already strong cultural and economic exchange between India and Germany.

Some of the salient features of the agreement are as under:

• Movies which are produced within the framework of this agreement shall be deemed national films. These films shall be entitled to claim the all state support benefits available to the film and video industries and the privileges granted by the provisions in force in the respective countries.
  
• Contribution of the co-production partners includes at least one leading actor, one supporting actor and/or one qualified technical staff person.
  
• The original soundtrack of each co-production film shall be made in Hindi language or dialect or, in English or German or in any combination of those permitted languages.
  
• In the case of multilateral co-productions, the minority contribution may not be less than 10 per cent and the majority contribution may not exceed 70 per cent of the total cost of the film.
  
• Even those films, which are produced in one of the two countries and where the minority contribution is limited to financial investment, may be granted co-production status according to this agreement.
  
• The expenses incurred in the territories of both countries for the promotion of co-productions will be compensated within two years of the completion of the project.
  
• A Joint Commission, which will comprise representatives from the government and from the film, television and video industries of both countries will supervise and review the implementation and operation of the agreement and will make the any proposals considered necessary to improve the implementation of the agreement.
  
• For approved co-productions, each country will facilitate entry into and temporary residence in its territory for technical and artistic personnel of the other country as well as the import into and export from its territory of technical and other film making equipment and materials by producers of the other country.
  
• Applications for qualification of a film for co-production benefits must be made simultaneously to the competent authorities in both countries at least 30 days before the shooting begins. They should be accompanied by the final scripts and synopsis, documentary proof of having legally acquired the rights to produce the co-production and a copy of the co-production contract signed by the two co-producers for the sharing of revenues, markets, media or a combination of these.