Romania Approves Three-Year Extension of Revamped 30% Cash Rebate Program (EXCLUSIVE)

Romania has officially given a three-year extension to its revamped cash rebate program, the government announced this week during the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival. Under the terms of the new legislation, financing agreements can now be signed through the end of 2029, with payments running through the end of 2031.

The program, which is administered by the Office of Film and Cultural Investments (OFIC), offers a 30% cash rebate on eligible production expenditures incurred in Romania. The annual budget cap stays at €55 million ($63.2 million), with an overall budget of approximately €250 million ($287 million) — of which nearly €180 million ($206.7 million) remains available for new projects, according to the OFIC.

Since relaunching the cash rebate program in 2024, Romania has drawn over 90 projects representing an estimated €110 million ($126.3 million) in planned local spend, according to the OFIC. Those productions — along with others currently in development for 2027–2029 — now have the legal certainty they need to move forward.

“Romania has proven it can compete for major international productions — and this extension is our commitment to keeping that promise,” said OFIC director general Valentin Savu. “We have the locations, the crews, the infrastructure and now the legislative runway to make Romania a long-term home for film and television. I genuinely believe the best productions are still to come.”

With its diverse locations, developed infrastructure and skilled and competitively priced crew base, Romania has drawn international productions including Season 1 of hit Netflix series “Wednesday” (pictured), Sony Pictures Television series “Alex Rider” and BBC America’s “Killing Eve.”

The extension to its cash rebate program ensures the country will remain an attractive proposition in the increasingly competitive CEE region, as Romania jockeys alongside countries including Hungary, Czech Republic and Bulgaria for foreign productions.

Along with a 30% cash rebate on local spend, the revamped program offers a fully digitized application and documentation system that its backers say is fast, reliable and transparent, with a full cycle of completed projects that have gone through every stage of the program, from initial registration through to final payment.

Veteran filmmaker and TIFF founder Tudor Giurgiu told Variety that he was “really pleased that despite deep political crisis, our acting government decided to extend the cash rebate scheme,” a move that he said “our industry needed a lot.”

“I recently had meetings in Cannes with French and American producers and they were all cautious when talking about a possible Romanian shoot, mostly because the rebate was not yet extended,” Giurgiu said. “Now I feel there is a more serious and predictable landscape and I’m happy the film office will be able to continue their good work.”

Industry groups, meanwhile, are rallying behind the news.

“This isn’t only about attracting foreign shoots. For Romanian filmmakers, extending the cash rebate program means we can finally plan,” said Andrei Boncea, co-founder of Bucharest-based production company Frame Film and president of the Alliance of Romanian Producers.

“A director developing a project — work that often takes years to mature — now knows that a significant share of its budget will be covered. That certainty changes what we dare to attempt and how far ahead we can think,” he continued. “It also strengthens our hand in European co-productions: Partners are drawn not only by our exceptional talent, but now by the concrete financial weight Romania brings to the table.

“The timing matters. Romanian cinema already carries real prestige abroad, and after years of rebuilding our credibility, international productions are once again looking seriously at Romania,” Boncea added. “Locking the program in through the end of the decade is what turns that momentum into something lasting — significant growth for the whole sector and, I’m convinced, a remarkable slate of Romanian films made with true ambition. The question is no longer whether a filmmaker can afford the film they want to make, but how far they’re prepared to push it.”

The Transilvania Intl. Film Festival runs June 12 – 21.