Great news! Over 2,000 requests to film in public spaces annually in Hungary

The Hungarian National Film Fund received more than 2,000 requests to film in public places last year, business daily Világgazdaság said on Friday.

So far this year, the fund told the paper it has received more than 1,000 such requests to film movies, television shows or advertisements.

On any given day in Hungary, production companies are shooting at least five different locations in the country.

Prices for filming in public places in Hungary are cheap by international comparison: daily fees in designated World Heritage Sites in the capital are only around 2,000 forints (EUR 6.2) per square metre and just 800 forints per square metre in other areas popular with tourists.

In locations outside of the capital, daily fees are a paltry 200 forints per square metre.

The fees are stipulated in an annex to the Motion Picture Act of 2004. The Hungarian National Film Fund said it has no plans to initiate amendments to the legislation.

The Hungarian National Film Fund gets an administrative fee for contracting with production companies for permits to film in public places. Last year, that added up to 46 million forints. But local councils are remunerated for the use of the locations. For the municipality of the capital and its central districts, this revenue came to 272 million forints in 2017, Világgazdaság said.