An agreement that will facilitate co-productions between Kosovo and Turkey was signed last week. This new deal aims to promote cultural links between the two countries, and will have a duration of at least five years. The agreement covers the co-production of films and TV series, and is an extension of a partnership that was signed between the two parties three years ago.

Vlora Dumoshi, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Kosovo, and Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, signed the new agreement. In order to benefit from it, co-producers will have to provide evidence to their respective competent authorities, which will be the Kosovo Cinematography Center or Turkey’s General Directorate of Cinema, proving that they have the proper technical organisation, adequate financial support, recognised professional standing and qualifications to bring the production to a successful conclusion.

The financial contribution of the producers may vary from 20% to 80% for each co-production, with a proportional contribution in technical and creative parts. Moreover, co-producers from third countries will be accepted with a financial contribution of no less than 10% each. All the co-produced films and TV series should be either Kosovar – Turkish co-productions or Turkish – Kosovar co-productions, a distinction which will also be included in any promotional material, depending always on the majority party in the production.

Furthermore, a sub-committee comprising representatives of the competent authorities from each country will be established, and will review and monitor the implementation of the agreement’s elements. The members of the sub-committee will also discuss issues related to film and TV series co-productions, aiming to enhance trade relations between Kosovo and Turkey and to promote them efficiently. They will also propose initiatives to further extend the cooperation in the area of filmmaking and of course they will report their findings to the Joint Committee of the two countries. If everything goes according to plan, the agreement will be automatically extended for another five years, reaching a maximum of ten years in total.

Kosovo’s Minister of Culture Vlora Dumoshi stated after the signature: “This agreement, beyond the details and modalities it defines, is of great importance for cultural cooperation, especially in the field of cinema between Kosovo and Turkey, and for bilateral relations between the two countries."

Arben Zharku, the director of the Kosovo Cinematography Center, also added: “Through this agreement, we aim to deepen the cooperation in the field of cinema between the two countries by creating equal opportunities for filmmakers and opening the country to create new opportunities in the shooting of TV series, for which Turkey has a well-known international tradition.”

It should be noted that, two months ago, Kosovo and Albania also signed a co-production agreement which besides regulating and encouraging the co-production of films in both countries, also paves the way for a joint fund for support by both countries and even a national film award, equivalent to an Albanian Oscar.