Movies, series filming in P.R. thru August pumping $65M into economy
Puerto Rico Film Commissioner Pedro Rúa-Jovet
About a dozen film projects for the big screen and streaming services slated to roll in Puerto Rico through August are projected to inject close to $65 million into the local economy, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced.
This activity will generate 1,994 jobs, 138 shooting days and 3,959 hotel nights, he said.
“We continue to take appropriate steps to make Puerto Rico a viable investment destination for the film industry and restore the island’s credibility; we’re securing more and better film projects efficiently and wisely,” he said.
Puerto Rico Film Commissioner Pedro Rúa-Jovet said the level of film activity planned for the next three months is close to the production activity that the island witnessed during the entire Fiscal Year 2016.
“Interest in Puerto Rico as a film destination is on a very high level, primarily due to the reforms we have implemented over the past year, with the help of the industry, and members of the tax concessions approvals committee,” said Rúa-Jovet.
The Film Industry Development Program estimates that from January 2017 to June 2018 some 17,836 temporary jobs have been generated, 1,160 days of filming and 22,179 room nights in island hotels, representing more than $266.4 million in economic benefits to Puerto Rico.
“Now that the production of local projects through the Film Industry Investment Fund and the tax incentives code is partially tied to film investment from other jurisdictions, this huge investment will provide us with more tools to grow our entire industry,” Rúa-Jovet said.
Among the projects to be filmed are: a series to be announced by Crackle, a Sony Pictures Television content unit; a Netflix series called “The last thing he wanted” starring Anne Hathaway; local films “Utopia” and “El ojo de Dios” (“The eye of God”); the Enfoque International Film Festival, the Film Workshop in June, Motion Picture Olympics in July; and three films that will come to the island, and will be announced soon, he said.
Tax credits provided by Law 27 of 2011 and the Film Industry Investment Fund under Law 171 of 2014 are the main tools to promote cinematic activity on the island.
