PROEXCA, under the management of the Canary Islands Government, on behalf of the Audiovisual Department Canary Islands Film, and in collaboration with the low tax zone: the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC), the Gran Canaria Film Commission, and the Tenerife Film Commission, organized a reverse mission with top animation studios, such as Amazon Studios, Brown. Ag Films, Comet Entertainment, Epic Story Media, Mana-T, and ToonBoom.
There is no doubt why the Canary Islands are the perfect place for the film production industry. One of the main Canary Islands’ advantages is that they offer the lowest corporate tax rate in Europe (4%) and that they apply a 0% VAT for audiovisual productions.
Also, these companies will enjoy a 45-50% tax rebate, and there is a tax credit for investment that ranges between 45 to 50% for national productions and co-productions if they decide to film in the Canaries.
Another reason to book a flight and come and see the opportunities the Canaries offer is the variety of landscapes within a few kilometers. Every island has its own charm: La Palma, el Hierro la Gomera, and Tenerife are well-known for their natural views, exotic forests, and breathtaking cliffs.
On the other hand, the eastern islands, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria offer heavenly beaches and crystal-clear waters. Click here to know more
If this wasn’t good enough, the islands offer wonderful landscapes and the best climate in the world, with an average temperature of 22º / 71 F and over 4,800 daylight hours per year.
Also, you can travel between islands easily, due to the excellent daily air and sea connections. As one of the best touristic spots in the world, the Canary Islands offer luxurious apartments and hotels in beautiful places of the archipelago.
Companies have realized the many advantages the Islands offer, that’s why since 1945, when the producer of Moby Dick decided to film the epic final battle of the movie here, a lot of productions have been seduced by the archipelago’s beauty.
Renowned films that everyone has heard about and that chose to film in the Canary Islands are: ‘Allied’ by Robert Zemeckis, along with ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ by Patty Jenkins, ‘Paradise Hills’ by Alice Waddington, or the second Star Wars spin-off, based in Han Solo’s story, produced by Disney.
These recent years, Netflix, the world’s most subscribed online platform, has chosen the Canary Islands as a destination for its audiovisual shoots. If you are keen on video games, The Witcher will sound familiar to you. Almost every episode of this series was filmed in the archipelago, in the islands of Gran Canaria, la Gomera, la Palma, and Tenerife.
Other Netflix productions, Sky Rojo and The One were filmed in several parts of the island of Tenerife at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. But Netflix is not the only online video platform that has chosen to shoot its audiovisual productions in the archipelago.
Just three months ago, Gran Canaria and Tenerife hosted the cast of the fourth season of Jack Ryan, an American action thriller that is available in Amazon Prime Video.
In addition, Hollywood films have also chosen the Canaries: ‘Grand Piano’, ‘Fast & Furious 6’, ‘In the heart of the sea’, or ‘Wild Oats’, to name just a few. World-famous filmmakers such as Ridley Scott found the locations in the Canary Islands ideal for his film ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’.
The Canary Islands were Casablanca during World War II in ‘Allied’, the Sinai Peninsula in ‘Exodus: Kings and Gods’, Athens and Beirut in ‘Jason Bourne’, Mexico in ‘Rambo V’ or the luxurious destination dreamed by two spirited young ones in ‘Wild Oats’. “Clash of Titans” or “Black Mirror” are two other audiovisual projects produced in the Canary Islands.