JAMPRO to Publish Guide for Filming in Jamaica

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is working on a national publication to be used as a guide for filming in Jamaica.

The publication, which is expected to be available by October, will outline the various policies, requirements and key entities involved in production and filming in Jamaica.

Speaking with JIS News, Film Commissioner at JAMPRO, Renée Robinson, said the comprehensive guide will be free of cost and available in hard copies or as a PDF document on the JAMPRO websites at: www.tradeandinvestjamaica.org or www.filmjamaica.com.

“The publication will outline the policies around the process that is required for filming… so you need a film permit, this is how you do it… you need a drone, this is where you go or who you talk to… if you are going to be filming underwater, you go to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), and this is what NEPA is going to require of you and the fees to be paid. So, all this information will be in the guide and available to anybody interested in filming in Jamaica,” she noted.

Ms. Robinson explained that establishment of the guide is another means of creating a smooth, seamless process for production entities and personnel.

“We play a key role in production facilitation, regulation and policy advocacy, and work with the Ministries of Tourism; Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Finance and the Public Service; agencies such as Tax Administration Jamaica, Jamaica Customs Agency and NEPA to smooth the business-facilitation process for practitioners who are working in our core sectors,” the Film Commissioner pointed out.

She said that JAMPRO has engaged Dr. Shelley-Ann Morgan as consultant for the delivery of the guide.

Dr. Morgan previously worked on the Business Plan for Jamaica’s creative industries and is familiar with the mapping of the film industry in Jamaica.