Plans In Place To Turn Quintana Roo into a Film Making Mecca

CANCUN – The creation of the Quintana Roo Film Commission is the first step toward making the Mexican Caribbean a mecca for national and international cinematography. Organizer Salvador Quiroz Prieto hopes that this initiative will attract more players in this million dollar industry by projecting the destination as a great cinematic location.

“Having a film commission, protected by laws, attracts productions. It protects the filming, stimulates local production, promotes culture, the destination, generates sources of employment and provides great economic benefit,” he explained.

As reference, he pointed out that when the Dominican Republic drew up a law, similar to the one he is proposing, that stimulated film production in the region. In 2019 the Caribbean nation generated 75 million dollars from the film industry. Before that, they did not reach anywhere near that figure.

Interviewed by Origen Radio, he mentioned that between 2019 and February 2020 more than 40 productions were filmed in Quintana Roo with an average cost of one million dollars. 30 percent of that was dedicated to lodging, food expenses and local transportation.

Currently, in Puerto Aventuras an HBO series, “The Garcias“, is being filmed. This generates an income of 50 thousand dollars a day. They have been in production for one month with two more months of filming ahead.

“These amounts would be greatly exceeded, because there would be organization, increased confidence and having a government link will facilitate all kinds of procedures with other agencies,” He emphasizing that they hope to turn the Mexican Caribbean into a major film destination within 10 years.

He recalled that in December 2019, they proposed the initiative of the Law for the Promotion of Cinematographic, Audiovisual and Photographic Activity, which creates the Filming Commission of Quintana Roo.

In March 2020, the proposal was scheduled to go to plenary session, but was delayed due to the pandemic. They hope to resume their plans now.

Quiroz Prieto said that almost all these regulations are generally overseen by the Ministry of Tourism. They have decided to focus on the Commission for Culture and Economic Development, because cinema is an industry, and the intent is to focus this activity as a window of economic diversification for the state.

“The cinema is an industry. It promotes culture. The hotels have interesting locations and in the long term it will be possible to generate cinematographic tourism”, he explained.

Source: El Punto Sobre La i