Under the enhanced rebate system, the cap on total financial assistance is being increased from $5m to $10m.
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission has announced a new list of criteria to help film and television productions receive up to 50% cashback. The new rebate system will effective January 1, 2025.
The new system includes a points mechanism which will determine the cashback amount available to productions. Productions that feature Abu Dhabi get 20 points, and those that highlight UAE history and culture accrue 10 points. Productions that carry out their post-production activity in the emirate gain an additional 10 points. Meanwhile, a television series or programme filmed entirely in Abu Dhabi gains 20 points. Productions can also earn another 20 points if they employ Emiratis in specific above-the-line positions, such as writer, director, stunt coordinator, stunt performer or lead cast.
Furthermore, feature films can receive one point for each day of main unit filming in Abu Dhabi for a maximum of 60 points. Productions invited by the commission to provide marketing content can also get a maximum of 30 points.
Productions that accrue 10 to 14 points increase their total rebate to 37.5%. Those that collect 15 to 39 points uplift by an additional 2.5%. Gathering 40 to 69 points or 70 to 84 points will be rewarded with 42.5% and 45% rebates respectively. Finally, productions with 85 points and above will have a total rebate of 50%. Further, under the enhanced rebate system, the cap on total financial assistance is being increased from $5m to $10m.
The new rebate plan follows on the heels of the enhanced rebates announced in October 2024 when the Film Commission increased the subsidy on productions in the emirate from 30% to 35%.
Speaking about the new rebate system, Sameer Al Jaberi, head of Abu Dhabi Film Commission, said: “We listened to the feedback from producers and also from our leadership on how we can enhance the rebate programme so it increases the amount of benefits mutually. We wanted to create a win-win situation for the producers, for the filmmakers, as well as for us as a jurisdiction in Abu Dhabi.”
The criteria for added incentives aims to encourage international productions to tap into the local creative pool. Since 2013, more than 170 major projects have been filmed in Abu Dhabi since the initial incentive programme began, including Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Furious 7 (2015) and Dune: Part Two (2024). Those productions have helped develop both the physical infrastructure needed for filming large-scale productions and the local talent that is now able to assist.
Khalid Khouri, industry development director at the Creative Media Authority, Abu Dhabi, added: “We’ve been nurturing talents for years now. We’re going to see these talents eventually being hired in these productions after all these years of experience.”
The enhanced rebate scheme is being rolled out a few months ahead of the opening of twofour54 Studios, a massive complex that will encompass soundstages and six standing sets. These facilities will complement the existing ecosystem, which consists of 800 locally-based media companies, 300 of which focus on production, and a freelancer talent pool of more than 1,000 people.
