The warm Ciudad Blanca, Liberia, was the venue where an agreement was signed between the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and the 11 municipalities of Guanacaste to make this region the third “Film Friendly Zone” in the country and in this way bring more development and well-being to the communities.
PROCOMER and the municipalities of La Cruz, Liberia, Bagaces, Cañas, Tilarán, Abangares, Hojancha, Nandayure, Nicoya, Santa Cruz and Carrillo; signed the agreement that will undertake the project to convert the Chorotega Region into an attractive and friendly area for the realization of audiovisual productions.
The ides is that it be an economic, geographical and social zone that promotes and helps the region -through a collaborative relationship between different sectors- to attract audiovisual investment, generating productive chains and economic development. The Brunca Region and Huetar Norte are already developing the project.
Show the world the potential and opportunities that exist in Costa Rica for large audiovisual productions
According to Mario Sáenz, PROCOMER’s Export Development Manager, this agreement means the beginning of a project that will show the world the potential and opportunities that exist in Costa Rica for large audiovisual productions. “We are a country that promotes development outside the Greater Metropolitan Area and we seek well-being for all communities, and the film industry is that: development and well-being. This industry offers multiple benefits for Costa Rica: job creation, linkages, new ventures and inclusion in various areas,” he commented.
With the signing of this agreement between PROCOMER and the local governments of the Region, a capacity development project begins so that the people of the area prepare to receive this type of production, for example:
- Work will be done on the creation of a catalog of service providers in the region.
- Training for companies.
- Development of a location catalog that will serve as a database for location seekers and professionals in the sector.
- Provide ease of procedures for filming permits in the areas of jurisdiction of local governments, linking them to the Single Investment Window (VUI).
- Creation of regional incentives for projects that decide to film in the area. These can be economic, logistical, in-kind incentives or other schemes with which the municipalities want to organize themselves, so that the projects are decided by the area.
Other countries have already launched “Film Friendly Zones” successfully: some counties in the states of Texas, California and Georgia in the United States; Coquimbo in Chile; London in the UK; Río Negro in Argentina and several of the states of Mexico.
Transcendental alliance
“For the Chorotega Region, this type of alliance is transcendental with the purpose of being able to take advantage of not only the warmth of the people of the Guanacaste province, but also the exuberant landscapes, the vegetation and the characteristics of our land with very hot areas in the inshore and very cold areas in the height. The province is extraordinary and this type of alliances come to strengthen and favor the citizens of Guanacaste”, added Juan Pablo Barquero, mayor of Tilarán.
Some advantages that Costa Rica offers to international productions are:
- High quality filming and production services: optimal for a regional production center that meets international standards.
- Skill set: The country has a sprawling workforce, highly skilled, and good soft skills ready to be nurtured.
- Eco Filming Pioneers: Costa Rica promotes productions with environmental and social awareness, which has positioned us and made us a world benchmark in sustainability.
- High complexity requirements: we have experience in managing highly complex projects.
- Legal Framework: The country offers clear rules and incentives, in accordance with the Film Investment Attraction Law, as well as legal experts available to assist during production.
Among others
The Film Commissioner of Costa Rica, José Castro, added that “for the Film Commission of Costa Rica and the seven entities that comprise it, it is important to develop technical and professional skills, as well as improve conditions in all areas of the country, so that They can be an ideal setting for filming, both national and international,” he commented. The Costa Rican Film Commission is made up of the Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), the Promoter of Foreign Trade (PROCOMER), the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives (CINDE), the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MSJ), the Film Center and a representative of the private sector, in this case the Costa Rican Audiovisual Industry Chamber (CAIAC), attached to CAMTIC.
