A three-member delegation from Jampro and the local film commission has just returned to the island following a series of meetings with industry executives in Los Angeles in the United States.

Film Commissioner Renee Robinson, who was part of the delegation along with Tristan Alleyne, senior officer in the Film Commission, and Jampro Vice-President Norman Naar, told the Jamaica Observer that the core goal of the visit was to increase both investment and export opportunities for the Jamaican screen industries.

“Our meetings focused on promoting Jamaica as a film business destination for international projects looking to film here, as well as opportunities for development, financing, production, and exhibition for local content. We additionally had meetings around opportunities for breaking ground on physical studio infrastructure. As you know, these opportunity types can take years to come to fruition but these missions assist in planting seeds,” said Robinson.

The industry executives with whom Robinson and her team met represented industry powerhouses including Disney, Paramount Pictures, Amazon Studios, Netflix and Sony Studios, as well as film financiers and film and television distributors.

Coming out of these meetings, Robinson noted there is a real curiosity for what Jamaica has to offer in terms of film — whether as a location or for material including scripts and films for development and distribution.

“There is a shift in terms of diversity, equity and balance in what is showcased in the mainstream. Jamaica has always been recognised as a cultural superpower. When you think of location, Jamaica has so much to offer. There is the flora and fauna, urban grit, corporate areas, mansions and the natural environment. More and more we are finding that films are looking at locations in the Blue Mountains rather that the standard beach shot.”

“This curiousity from the global marketplace also arises because of the lack of material from the Caribbean region. They are seeing what is coming out of Nollywood, South Africa, Ghana, South America and Bollywood, but not a lot from us in this region. They want to see our stories. What is our version of a vampire? So, it may well be time for our River Mumma and Rolling Calf scripts to be written,” she added.

Robinson was careful not to place the blame for the lack of a Jamaican presence at the feet of any one entity, noting that there have been challenges and the time has come to step into a role.

“The lack of a tax incentive has been something we have struggled with for a long time. There is an issue of building film-friendly institutions and industries which understand the value of film and are willing to work with us. Then there is scale. When I tell people Jamaica is under three million persons, eyes pop. The truth is we see ourselves as being big and bad but three million eyes is really a drop in the bucket — and we just have to keep working at maintaining our position despite our size,” she ssaid.

Robinson went on to praise the work of local institutions such as the Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) which, in partnership with Jampro, continues to build capacity through its Propella Programme and assists in moving the industry forward..