[File Photo]

Film Fiji has made a final pay of seven million dollars out of the $15m in tax rebates owed to the producers of Eco-Challenge Fiji.

The payout last week by the coalition government was made for the 2019 production.

This has been announced by Film Fiji Board Chair, Culden Kamea while stating that Chief Executive, Ramiro Tenorio will not be renewing his contract in 2024.

Kamea is hopeful that Tenorio will stay on to assist the audiovisual commission transition, through a short-term consultancy.

He says Tenorio and his small team have saved the budding Fiji film industry through the challenging times of COVID, and particularly in maintaining the trust of some of the biggest production studios in the world.

According to Kamea, the previous government failed to pay out millions of dollars in tax rebates promised, pre-COVID.

Kamea says as a result of the coalition government honouring the tax rebates promised to overseas film productions, two biggest reality TV shows in the world “SURVIVOR USA” and “Love Island USA”, are being shot in Fiji.

He adds collectively these two productions are pouring around $75Million dollars into the local economy in Net Fiji Spend so far this year –the highest ever by overseas productions in over twenty years.

SURVIVOR USA has shot 12 seasons, averaging two seasons per year in Fiji.