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Jamaica reaches out to Canadian filmmakers

More than 150 films are shot in Jamaica annually and Jamaica Trade and Invest (JTI), is hoping that Canadian filmmakers will add more to that number.

At a media and trade networking reception, held for filmmakers on September 15, at Harlem Restaurant in Toronto, JTI's Investment Support Services Manager, Robert Kerr, said Jamaica was an excellent place to film, and highlighted some of the incentives which are offered through JTI's Creative Industries Unit.

Noting that the Jamaica brand was at an all-time high worldwide, due in part to the "record-breaking performances" of sprinter, Usain Bolt and other Jamaican athletes, Kerr implored the filmmakers to seriously consider Jamaica, because "it is a fantastic location for filming, and our people and culture reflect bold inspiring energy associated with brand Jamaica."

The event, which was organised by JTI and the Jamaican Consulate in Toronto, and hosted by Canadian actress, Tonya Lee Williams, was held during the staging of the 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Williams, who is of Jamaican parentage, noted that Jamaicans were probably the best storytellers in the world and there were many stories and a lot of history in Jamaica which have not yet been documented or told.

"I think it's important for all of us, especially the ones who are outside the country, to start telling the stories that our parents and grandparents have told us, and the stories that we live, straddled between the two cultures of North America and also our Jamaican heritage, which have made an impression on who we are as individuals and artistes," she said.

Founder of the Reel World Film Festival, which takes place in Toronto annually, Williams, also told the filmmakers that Jamaica was a beautiful, lush country and they should jump at the opportunity to make a movie there.

A media presentation highlighted some of the movies which have been filmed in Jamaica, including Club Paradise, Cool Runnings, Live and Let Die, Cocktail, Legends of the Fall, License to Wed, Goldeneye, Lord of the Flies, Papillion, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and The Mighty Quinn with Denzel Washington.

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