The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has drafted a bill aimed at luring European and US film productions to Turkey. According to the draft, Turkey would meet 25% of the costs of foreign filmmakers who shoot their movies in Turkey. The hope is that drawing Hollywood producers and celebrity actors to Turkey will boost Turkish cinema.

The Finance Ministry has lent its support to the project, the bill for which is expected to be submitted to parliament this month. The Turkish media greeted the project with enthusiasm. “We pay the cost, you bring Brad Pitt,” the mass-circulation Hurriyet said in a playful headline addressing Hollywood.

Many countries offer tax exemptions to the cinema industry to promote international interest in their culture, literature, history and natural riches. Comments in the Hollywood Reporter by the British ministers of finance and culture on tax incentives for filmmakers reflect the positive role of cinema. They highlighted the anticipated impact of American big-budget movies and high-tech productions on Britain, including boosting infrastructure investment, producing high-quality productions and reducing unemployment.

The project to bring Hollywood to Turkey has also been inspired by progress in Turkish cinema, which marks its 100th anniversary this year. Turkish filmmakers have won a series of awards at dozens of film festivals. Among them are Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose film “Winter Sleep” won the 2014 Palme d’Or, the top prize at Cannes, and has been nominated for a 2015 foreign-language Oscar.