In March 2026, New Zealand and Brazil signed a bilateral audio-visual co-production agreement in Brasília.

The New Zealand Brazil Coproduction Agreement covers fiction, animation, and documentary across theatrical, linear, and SVOD windows. Projects structured under the agreement qualify as national content in both territories. That unlocks access to domestic incentives on each side.

Each partner must contribute at least 20% financially and creatively. Contributions are capped at 80%. Third-party co-producers must contribute at least 10%.

The agreement was signed by New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Hon Winston Peters, and Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mauro Vieira.

Implementation is led by Chris Payne, Deputy CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), and Brazil’s national film agency, ANCINE.

The framework follows strategy discussions held at the 2025 Cannes Film Market between NZFC and Brazil’s Audiovisual Secretariat (SAv).

This is New Zealand’s first screen industry treaty with a Latin American partner.

The agreement follows the November 2025 expansion of New Zealand’s film subsidy program to NZ$577 million. The stated objective was to ensure the country remains competitive in the global market.

With national status in Brazil, New Zealand producers can access Brazilian incentives and avoid foreign content quota treatment in one of the world’s largest markets.

The structure mirrors other bilateral agreements, including Brazil–UK (2018) and India–Colombia (2024), where partners pooled public incentives to support international co-productions.

Producers structuring projects under the treaty will need to align financial participation and creative control to meet national status requirements in both territories.

New Zealand has reduced rebate thresholds for theatrical films from $15 million to $4 million. That opens eligibility to smaller and mid-budget projects.

The framework supports joint structuring across development, production, and post. Rights management and revenue splits will need to reflect dual national qualification, particularly across digital and VFX workflows.

This agreement changes eligibility math for cross-border projects.

National status in both territories allows incentive stacking without foreign classification constraints. That directly shapes how budgets are structured.

New Zealand’s lower rebate threshold widens the qualifying slate. Brazil adds market scale.

Execution will depend on how precisely producers align contribution and creative control requirements from the start.