Today's Rotary International Event gave us an opportunity to ask the Deputy Prime Minister Faber about his recent visit to Hollywood.
He went there along with the Belize Film Commission, the National Institute of Culture and History, and the Consulate General of Belize to meet with the major players from Hollywood's film making industry. It's an important marketing tool for Belize where the local industry personalities get to make connections with those major players, and to pitch Belize as a film friendly jurisdiction.
The Belize Delegation got a chance to meet with representatives from a number of Hollywood media groups, as well as Belizean dignitaries, and professional athletes.
We asked the Deputy PM how it went:
Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister
"It was my honor and my duty to attend the annual luncheon that is held in the Hollywood area of California, where we engaged partners, those who have an interest in doing films in Belize. We met with those who were from various areas, from directing, screenplay writing, acting even - to see what they are saying they would need to see in our Belizean context, for them to come to do business in Belize. And likewise, we get an opportunity to share with them, give an invitation, and promote Belize as a natural environment for the film industry."
"I also got a chance to engage with elements of the diaspora that were involved, and you'd be surprised to know that we have very high ranking Belizeans in that industry as well. And so, that gave me an opportunity to speak with them, and to see how they can assist in our efforts to develop the film industry in Belize, and of course to engage them on numerous issues pertaining to their role in Belize's development."
One of the things that struck me that could be most beneficial to Belize was the development of a film school here in Belize, and also that that school will bring an online, distance component, where we will have the experts in world renown entities aiming to train our local Belizeans, but not only our local Belizeans, our regional people, so that Belize could become a possible hub for talent that the industry needs, whenever they come to this side of the world to film. That was exciting for me because if you going to any parts of Central America to do a film, or even in the Caribbean, that talent could be identified through that school which does training here in Belize. Also, it makes for our local industry a good partner because our local people can then trained with some of the skills that are needed in the industry, so that when people choose Belize to make a film, they can come here and pick from our people - those talents that they are looking for, as opposed to bringing in their own talent from outside."
This recent Luncheon was the 4th annual event of its kind. It is the brainchild of Nigel Miguel, the Belize Film Commissioner; Roland Yorke, the Belize Counsel General of LA; and Suzette Zayden, the Coordinator of the Film and Media Arts Unit within NICH.
Email
Print