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Sector%20cinematografico%20evidencia%20aportes%20del%20Cine%20a%20la%20economia%20dominicana-32e40519 Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo - Film sector shows contributions of cinema to the Dominican economy

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Publication date:

30 October 2024

Film industry highlights contributions of cinema to the Dominican economy


The film industry has generated more than 25,000 jobs in the last three years and around RD$10,141 billion in pesos to the Dominican economy through Law 108 – 10 from 2011 to 2019, data shared at the forum on the Film Law held at INTEC

SANTO DOMINGO. - The filming of audiovisual productions in the Dominican Republic has generated more than 25,000 jobs in the last three years, of which more than half are occupied by women; it also provides training and the possibility of collaborating in Cinema with international industries, as stated by Yvette Marichal, former director of the General Directorate of Cinema (DG Cinema).

After the withdrawal of the Tax Reform Project, the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) opened a space for dialogue with representatives of the country's Film Industry sector, in which they also participated as panelists Violet Lockhart, film director y he teaches from INTEC; Felix Manuel Lora, Film Coordinator at the Pontifical Catholic Mother and Teacher University (PUCMM); Humberto Almonte, film producer and analyst, and Claudia Saviñón, entertainment industry lawyer y he teaches of INTEC.

During his speech, Marichal explained that the Law for the Promotion of Cinematographic Activity 108-10, conceived with the purpose of generating more jobs, foreign currency inflows and the promotion of the country's culture, has shown key benefits for national and foreign investment in goods and services emanating from this industry, generating contributions of approximately RD$10,141,659,888.43 from 2011 to 2019.

“The implementation of tax incentives for investment in local productions stimulates the creation of national content, fostering cultural diversity. The public-private model avoids direct outlays by the state,” said Marichal, which has allowed the production of 195 films from 2010 to 2018, which contrasts with the 88 years before when only 101 films had been produced until 2010.

In his presentation, he explained that 88% of service providers are local micro and small businesses, and that they also create direct, indirect and induced jobs, with the consequent generation of taxes. “Everyone who works in the industry does so in a formal manner, which represents an effective way for the tax administration to directly control compliance with tax obligations and duties,” he said.

During the Forum promoted by Dalul Ordehi, dean of the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Alfredo Padrón, coordinator of the Film and Audiovisual Communication program, professors from the program were also present, including Ico Abreu, Braudín Eusebio, Rafael Lacau and Eva Pérez. Also present were journalists; relevant members of the film industry, including Elías Muñoz and Omar de la Cruz; as well as students from INTEC who enriched the debate with their questions and contributions.

Problems with the distribution of Dominican films

Claudia Saviñón, a lawyer specializing in entertainment rights, pointed out during her speech that distribution is one of the pending challenges for Dominican cinema. In making her comment, she recalled that in the country there is only one chain of movie theaters that is responsible for the exhibition and distribution of films and that, in addition, determines the time that they are shown on the billboard.

“Alternatively, we can benefit from streaming platforms to show these films” was one of the solutions proposed by the INTEC professor.

Manuel Lora said that, for the moment, it is only possible to negotiate the permanence of films in the exhibition chain. “The market must expand, films must remain in the exhibition chain for longer,” he added.

The role of the academy in Dominican cinema

From an academic perspective, Violeta Lockhart expressed the importance of universities in promoting the importance of cinema as a disseminator of thought and knowledge. “There is a need for the Academy and the State to understand culture as a priority,” she commented.

Similarly, he pointed out that the academies “need to research and disseminate thought; generate spaces for discussion; assume ourselves as multiplying entities of our cinema and open the doors to the community; as well as be co-producers of long audiovisual material”, the latter with the intention of contributing to the sustainable development of cinema in the country and integrating students into the production dynamics as part of their academic and professional practices.

Opportunities for improvement of the Film Law

After participating in the drafting of the Film Law since 2004, Felix Manuel Lora reflected on the importance of Law 108-10 and his view of the future based on other laws consulted internationally. “We realized that we were going to have a legal instrument that would lay the foundations for our small industry,” he said. However, the panelists highlighted other aspects of improvement to consider in the long term.

During his participation, Lockhart shared that “the Film Law has fallen short in terms of dissemination and promotion, the Dominican people do not know its filmography,” which is why he proposes that distribution, promotion and advertising expenses be recognized to address the problem of the lack of interest of viewers in national films.

On the other hand, Saviñón considered it necessary to increase the tax incentive of Article 39 of Law 108-10, which allows people or companies that produce cinematographic or audiovisual works in the country to receive a tax credit of 25% of the expenses incurred.

The transferable tax credit promotes foreign investment in the country. By offering a 25% return on all expenses incurred for international productions with budgets greater than US$500,000, it has allowed the country to receive large production companies such as Netflix, Disney, Paramount, MGM, Warner Brothers UK, Amazon Studios, among others.