259 Film-Makers to Be Evaluated for Support Under $1Billion Screen Development Initiative
By: , March 25, 2025
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, makes his contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, recently.The Full Story
A total of 259 film-makers, who applied for funding under the Government’s $1-billion Jamaica Screen Development Initiative (JSDI), have met the criteria for further evaluation towards support.
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, gave the update on the initiative during his 2025/2026 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on March 20.
He said that seven projects have already been awarded film festival support and a further nine films that are in progress will receive assistance towards completion.
In addition, another 51 films have been selected for development funding, and evaluation of films at the production level will begin shortly.
“This is the start of a burgeoning film industry in Jamaica. We can attract top-tier movie productions to Jamaica. We saw that with the Bob Marley movie produced by Paramount. For that film, over 1,800 short-term jobs were created and US$20 million was spent in the country,” the Prime Minister pointed out.
He told the House that JAMPRO is currently negotiating a co-production treaty with Canada, which will allow Canadian film-makers to partner with Jamaicans to film in the island.
“Similar arrangements are being pursued with Nigeria, India and South America, and with some policies and funding, we will make movies for the world based on our culture,” the Prime Minister said.
“I want to give assurance to the people in the industry that the Government is sympathetic and will make further allocations as they are possible, given our fiscal situation. I encourage our film-makers, our scriptwriters and our producers not to be deterred. Develop your concepts, develop your films and your scripts,” he urged.
Launched in 2024, the JSDI aims to support and strengthen the local film industry by providing a pool of funds for the completion of eligible screen-based projects across various stages of development.
The objective is to provide opportunities for new, emerging and established talent behind the camera to create more high-quality Jamaican content capable of competing in the global market.
A total of 406 applications have been received from local film-makers for support under the Fund.