The film and tourism industries, which in many countries work together hand-in-hand, took the first steps together recently in the Dominican Republic in the resort community of Juan Dolio, situated some 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo.
The occasion was the formal opening of the modern facilities built for the filming of water-related scenes for movies.
This innovative project in the Dominican Republic is the result of an alliance between the Vicini Group (the prime Dominican investment group in the project) and Pinewood Film British Company with operations in the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany and Malaysia (www.pinewoodgroup.com).
This “water tank” is part of the first phase of a cinema complex being built in Juan Dolio with an investment of U.S. $ 70 million World Bank partial funding.
The facilities are particularly impressive because of its seaside location, which will facilitate the filming of complex scenes. The facilities will continue to strengthen the Dominican Republic as the tourism mecca in the Caribbean.
Pinewood in the World
Pinewood has been around for 86 years, and its studios have been used for the filming of several Harry Potter movies as well as the Pirates of the Caribbean. It owns Pinewood, Shepperton and Teddington studios in the U.K., and others in Toronto, Berlin, Atlanta (USA) and Malaysia. It runs offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Film Incentives
The Dominican Republic has an attractive tax incentive law to promote the film industry.
This specific piece of legislation has stimulated an emerging film industry. Currently, between 6 and 10 movies are being filmed annually in the DR.
In the past, famous directors have used the Dominican Republic for some of their productions: Sydney Pollack’s “Havana,” “The Lost City”, by Andy Garcia, “The Good Shepherd,” by Robert De Niro, and Michael Mann’s “Miami Vice.”
Tourism and the Film Industry
Juan Dolio is a resort community situated some 45 minutes from downtown Santo Domingo, the country’s capital city and 20 minutes east from Las Americas international airport and one hour west from La Romana’s international airport. Juan Dolio also offers guests excellent golf courses, villas and seaside apartments.
The Opening Ceremony
The inauguration of the facilities was attended by the country’s president, Danilo Medina; the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America, Hugo Swire; and Nick Smith, the U.K. Commercial Director for Pinewood Shepperton.
