RIGA, April 8 (LETA) - The cinematic projects co-funded by the Riga Film Fund contributed nearly EUR 3.8 million to the economy last year, Linda Pede, deputy director of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA), told LETA, citing the agency's estimates.

According to RITA's information, the Riga municipality's support to film projects last year reached nearly EUR 753,000.

RITA director Fredis Bikovs noted that the filmmakers who choose Riga and Latvia for shooting their films especially appreciate not just the city's architecture, the proximity of nature and sea, gut also the performance of Latvia's highly-skilled film professionals.

This year, support to foreign film projects, which are always developed as co-productions with Latvia, will be provided for the 15th time, with project applications received from eight cinematic projects. By making their feature films and series on Latvian territory, filmmakers can recover 20 of eligible costs.

If the film is set in Riga or if the city is a significant part of the storyline, filmmakers can recover 25 percent of eligible costs, such as equipment rental, transport and fuel, accommodation, catering, security, construction and telecommunication services, etc.

The support provided by the Riga Film Fund can also be combined with the co-financing program of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency, thus increasing the total amount of support.

To qualify for support, a film project must meet a number of criteria, such as the involvement of producers registered in Latvia, a total budget of at least EUR 700,000, and a minimum of 50 percent of the already approved funding for film. A script must also be attached, which will be evaluated by experts.

In recent years, cinematographers from Germany have been showing the strongest interest in shooting films in Latvia. Applications have also been coming in from Estonia and Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and South Korea.