JAMPRO Hosts Jamaican Filmmakers in London

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) recently hosted a networking reception at the Jamaican High Commission in London to introduce four locally based filmmakers to potential British financiers, investors, and distributors.

The delegation from Jamaica comprised filmmaker and storyteller, Ina Sotirova; Producer, ‘Have a Bawl Productions’, Analisa Chapman; writer, filmmaker and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ayzha Productions, Mezan Ayoka; and CEO, producer and director at Liquid Light Digital, Adrian Lopez.

The filmmakers’ visit to London and participation in the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival were supported by a United Kingdom Trade Partnership export-readiness programme, managed by the International Trade Centre. The 69th staging of the festival was held from October 5 to 16.

The reception also exposed British film and animation executives to the country’s attributes in these areas as well as network with their Jamaican counterparts.

Whilst celebrating the long history of stakeholder collaboration between the countries’ industries, the event provided British film producers, location managers and distributors with a rare opportunity to appreciate the myriad possibilities of filming in Jamaica in its broadest context.

A release from JAMPRO indicated that “this initiative could be the forerunner that advances negotiations for a slate of film projects, representing an estimated US$95 million (£85 million) in production expenditure”.

Commenting on the event, JAMPRO’s European Regional Manager, Laurence Jones, said “we were delighted to discover that a delegation of filmmakers representing Jamaican companies would attend the BFI London Film Festival and took this opportunity to promote Jamaican film projects to British investors and content distributors”.

He added that “JAMPRO will remain at their disposal to facilitate negotiations and support the execution of these projects”.

The Jamaican film projects were presented to some 50 British producers, financiers, location managers, and companies that acquire and distribute film content.

Head of Business Affairs at The Studio Group, Meredith Brett, shared that “the projects presented on the evening were well thought out, strongly developed, and convincingly delivered”.

“We made useful connection with Adrian Lopez of Liquid Light Digital and look forward to continuing our discussions about developing a studio in Jamaica. We look forward to visiting soon and putting boots on the ground,” she added.

JAMPRO’s London office remains proactive in marketing the unique selling points of the Jamaican film industry, such as varied locations, skilled and cost-effective crew, and a co-production treaty with the United Kingdom(UK) that can facilitate tax credits for the UK leg of production.

On average, Jamaica facilitates 120 production shoots annually, with approximately 10 to 12 per cent originating in the UK.

Persons interested in learning about the filmmakers and their projects may contact the JAMPRO London office at +44-207-584-8894 or send an email to ljones@jamprocorp.com.

Source: JIS