Jalisco wants to become Mexico’s “Jali-Wood”

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Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – In an effort to make Jalisco, Mexico, the production capital of Latin America, a ‘Jallywood’ so to speak, the governing authorities have mapped a plan of action that includes the introduction of a new state film law to ensure smooth functioning of the industry.

Given the government’s severe cuts to federal funds supporting a wide range of enterprises, including Mexico’s audiovisual industry, among the law’s myriad objectives is the introduction of financial and fiscal incentives to foster investment in film projects in Jalisco.

At a press conference in late October, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said, “We want to send a clear message that with or without federal help or despite the federal government, we pledge to direct more resources towards the state’s audiovisual industry.”

Jalisco film commissioner Rodolfo Guzman added that the region aims to push Congress to revisit a shelved plan to introduce federal tax incentives next year. “Ideally, we want all of Mexico’s states to benefit from nationwide film incentives,” he said. Meanwhile, Jalisco will be exploring the introduction of state fiscal incentives in case Mexico City does not.

Alfaro pointed out that since the Film Commission was launched in 2014, the number of projects filmed in the region grew from six projects that year to 110 productions, generating revenue of some 100 million pesos ($4.79 million) in 2019, Variety reported.

“What differentiates us from other film commissions is that we enter as co-producers in some projects, investing up to a maximum of $250,000 in each,” said Guzman, who lists some 33 projects they have backed since 2014, including Carlos Saura’s “El Rey de Todo el Mundo” and Brazil’s “El Peluquero Romantico.”

Other objectives of the film law, encompassed by the new Filma en Jalisco brand, include regulating the planning, development and promotion of all audiovisual projects, establishing film archives, streamlining red tape and improving coordination among federal, state and municipal authorities with social and business organizations, academic institutions and research centers.

The state of Jalisco has become an important hub for technology firms, as well as film, video games, VFX, television and animation, Guzman pointed out. Guadalajara is where its most famous son, Guillermo del Toro, has set up a stop-motion animation studio, El Taller de Chucho, in association with the University of Guadalajara.

Source: filmaenjalisco.com

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