National Film Commission to be established in SVG

By Admin. Updated 5:30 a.m., Thursday, January 25, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will soon establish a National Film Commission.

In a press release, the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development, and Culture said the move comes as it expands its offerings in the hope of attracting more movie and reality television production sets to the island.

Tourism Minister, Honourable Carlos James, announced the plans for the proposed film commission and a number of other measures to drive production and growth within the various sectors of his ministry while delivering the inaugural State of the Tourism Industry Address at the Cruise Ship Terminal on Tuesday (January 23), the press release stated.

According to Minister James, the revamped National Cultural Foundation will work closely with the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Culture, and the SVG Tourism Authority to facilitate the development of the regulatory framework and incentives to attract greater interest in the destination as a suitable location for the motion picture production.

The motion picture industry, which comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 45.9 billion by 2027, according to the press release.

The Walt Disney blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl was filmed in St Vincent and Grenadines in 2003, the press release stated.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has in the recent past received international recognition in cinematography with representations at the Berlin Film Festival, also referred to as the Berlinale, by Vincentian filmmaker Aiko Roudette, the press release stated.