Israel is set to allocate $6.6 million to help fund global film and television productions that will be shot in the country in a bid to brand it as a prime location for the international film industry.

The grants, given out by a committee comprised of the Economy Ministry’s Investment Authority, Culture and Sports Ministry, Tourism Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry, are part of a total investment of $50 million into filming movies and television series in Israel.

The grants will go to 12 local production companies that are cooperating on projects with leading international production companies in the United States, Canada, France, Brazil and Germany, including Warner Bros., Showtime and Mediawan.

One of Green Productions’ projects, for example, is a remake the Israeli movie “Longing,” this time to include Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Diane Kruger. Production company 2-Team, meanwhile, is working on a movie featuring “Bond” star Naomie Harris.

The idea is to position Israel as a prime location for the filming of international productions. Israel’s advantages, according to the committee, include good facilities and production services, skilled professionals and unique historical sites.

The committee also hopes that bringing the international production industry to Israel will result in the development of Israeli culture, increased tourism and financial support to the local ecosystem.

“During the work process, we discovered the beautiful face of the Israeli film industry and the great global interest in Israel. I hope that our assistance will bring more and more foreign production companies to invest in Israel,” says Shlomo Attias, director of the Investment Authority.

“Thanks to the procedure for encouraging foreign productions, Israel has joined a prestigious club of countries that provide incentives to international productions to encourage them to come and film on their territory. In recent years, Israel’s status as a television and film content provider has risen and the Israeli story generates global interest and curiosity,” added Alon Ushpiz, the director general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Israeli productions that have become hits in homes around the world in recent years include “When Heroes Fly,” “Shtisel,” “Tehran” and, of course, “Fauda.”