Film History of Jamaica

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Film History of Jamaica Jamaica's film industry began in 1982 when the first Film Commission was formed. Since then, the Commission has handled most of the major studios. The Film Commission acts as a one stop office. The office assists with location scouting and location photographs and takes the producer from pre-production through production. In 1948 the local government installed the Motion Picture Industry Encouragement Act. Despite this initiative Jamaica's film industry never blossomed. Filmmakers have tried over the years to have the laws amended, but have been met with a reluctant government. The eighties are marked by a lack of production up until the early nineties; The Lunatic (1991) by Lol Creme and a German co-production Die Reise des Löwen (1992) by Fritz Baumann. In 1997 Dancehall Queen was screened, Directed by Rick Elgood & Don Letts. This feature derived its authenticity from an all-Jamaican cast and on-location shooting in Kingston. At the start of the Millenium several features were released; Runt (2003) by Michael Phillip Edwards; Shottas (2002) by Cess Silvera and an italian/Swiss co-production named Brucio nel vento (2002). Jamaica hosts an annual film and music festival mainly a tourist attraction. The festival also is a strong ace in the struggle to convince the goverment to change the ancient Motion Picture Act. If sufficient funding is made available on the production cost, the small but talented Jamaican film scene might surprise us all. Jamaica's leading annual film event The Reggae Film Festival takes place each February in Jamaica's capital city, Kingston. Members of Jamaica's film industry gather here to make new links and many new projects have grown from the event. Since the creation of the Reggae Film Festival[->0] there have been many new films made in Jamaica and the event has given the industry a real boost, this

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