Film fund boost
Bob Marley: One Love première sparks more talk on local industry
Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke says $1 billion will be pumped into the local film industry for its development.
Clarke made the disclosure at the world première of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic held at the Carib 5 cinema on Tuesday.
“The film industry has a ton of potential. Every time we have a film here you hire a lot of people, there’s a lot of equipment… sometimes things are built and constructed… the artisans [and] persons involved in the technical aspects of film. So, the film industry is one that has a lot of spillovers, and that is why we’re focused on supporting it. We announced in the budget presentation this year the formation of a film fund — $1 billion over two years — to support young film-makers in bringing stories to life. Screenwriters, directors, [and] producers can apply and, in a competitive process, have those films selected and produced,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.
In 2021 the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce revealed that the local film industry earned approximately US$236 million from 47 productions undertaken during the 2020-21 year, while generating 867 jobs.
The industry contributed $2.5 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) during the 2018-19 fiscal year.
The film fund signposted by the finance minister will be managed by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.
Meanwhile, Clarke noted that such a huge local première has, once again, put Jamaica in a positive spotlight.
“We’re celebrating our authentic Jamaican story that has inspired generations of people around the world across all seven continents around the world… a message that is eternal, that reverberates, that transcends, and that speaks to that indomitable nature of the Jamaican spirit… that is what tonight is about; celebrating the birth of a message of hope through the persona of Bob Marley, but also through the nationhood of Jamaica,” he said.
Production on Bob Marley: One Love by American Reinaldo Marcus Green began in London, England, in late 2021. It stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley and Lashana Lynch as his wife, Rita. It will be on screens in cinemas beginning February 14.
