Co-production is a general term covering a variety of production arrangements between two or more production companies undertaking a TV, film, or another video project. International co-production refers to two or more production enterprises from different countries undertaking such projects.

There are two types of co-productions:

·         Creative control is shared between local and foreign partners, and there is a mix of local and foreign people in creative positions.

·         A straightforward co-financing arrangement in which one partner provides partial funding while another company undertakes the actual production.

To date, South Africa has entered co-production treaties with Canada (1997), Italy (2003), Germany (2004) and the United Kingdom (2007), France (2010), New Zealand (2011) and Ireland (2012). South Africa will continue to enter co-production treaties with various countries for the benefit of the industry.

The effect of these agreements is that a film or TV programme, which is approved as an official co-production, is regarded as a national production of each of the co-producing countries. It thus becomes eligible to apply for any benefits or assistance available in either country. An added advantage is that each of the co-producers brings access to their domestic market.