Nomin Chinbat
Ms. Nomin Chinbat, Minister of Culture of Mongolia, announced that the Mongolian National Film Council (MNFC) will welcome several major production studios, including Warner Bros., HBO, Discovery, Viacom, and Netflix, to Mongolia on September 14-19 to learn about the country’s film industry benefits and visit historic Mongolian venues. Thus far, five high-level production managers and executives are confirmed to attend, with other studios and participants to be announced in the coming weeks. The MNFC was established to manage film production incentives, reimbursement, and other legislative measures to support the growth of Mongolia’s film industry.
Confirmed participants are Warner Bros: Jay Rosenwink, Senior Vice President; Discovery: Carrie Regan, Vice President, Global Content Production; HBO: Krutin Patel, Production Manager, HBO/HBO Max, a Warner Bros. Discovery Company; Viacom: Carlos Lugo, Vice President, Production, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios; and Netflix: Songlee Lee, Production Management Manager, Netflix Korea. The tour schedule will be led by Minister Chinbat, including meetings with government officials and the MNFC staff, along with a tour of Mongolia’s capital city of Ulaanbaatar (pop. 1.3 million); its production facilities as a culture program, and visits to the Mongolian countryside. Additionally, the group will meet with local leading Mongolian executives, award-winning artists, and production companies such as Cineplus, Nomadia Pictures, Hulegu Pictures, Guru Media, Fantastic Production, B Production, U Film, and Hero Entertainment.
Mongolian cinema has developed rapidly with a high level of professionalism and the emergence of strong talent specializing in the art of filmmaking. Over the last five years, the Mongolian film industry has averaged 80 studio productions, employing hundreds of film industry employees. The country now has many major movie theaters and screening venues with 40 new films released yearly (17 during the COVID-19 pandemic); and nearly 2 million potential moviegoers.
The core of MNFC’s mission is to develop vibrant and creative film industry in Mongolia. The Mongolian government has recently provided unprecedented programs to support and encourage both domestic and global film producers who base their projects on Mongolia. Global producers can apply for incentives of up to 45%, which come in the form of cash rebates, and are among the most competitive in the world (30% location incentive, 10% cultural incentive, and 5% foreign talent reimbursement). “Mongolia has so much to offer in terms of unique natural beauty and the large urban city of Ulaanbaatar, which employs many talented film professionals and modern production facilities. We are pleased to welcome some of the world’s top studios to our country to highlight our very generous film rebates and showcase how Mongolia is open for international business and investment,” Minister Chinbat said.