Sunday, October 16, 2011
Democracy in Latin America: Political Change in Comparative Perspective
new books on Caribbean, US Latin@ and Latin American Studies
Click on the tittles for details:
The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism
Third Edition
Franklin W Knight
Latin America: An introduction
Gary Prevost and Harry E. Vanden
Beyond La Frontera: The History of Mexico-U.S. Migration
Mark Overmyer-Velazquez
The Killiing Zone: The United States Wages Cold War in Latin America
Stephen G. Rabe
Film: Letters from the Other Side
Watch the trailer here:
http://www.sidestreetfilms.com/trailer.htm
"How many more deaths does it take for the U.S. government to do something? Let it be on their conscience that since our tragedy many more have died and many more will die!"
So says Laura in a video letter to the U.S. government, speaking about her husband who died trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border to search for work. LETTERS FROM THE OTHER SIDE interweaves video letters carried across the U.S./Mexico border with the intimate stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico. By focusing on a side of the immigration story rarely told by the media or touched upon in our national debate, LETTERS paints a complex portrait of families torn apart by economics, communities dying at the hands of globalization, and governments incapable or unwilling to do anything about it.
The People
The daily lives and struggles of four Mexican women interweave with their video letters, carried across the border (by the film's director) to both loved ones and strangers in the U.S.:
Eugenia González:
"If you invite your father to watch this video, please tell him that I am very happy to have accomplished everything I have accomplished without having to rely on him at all."
Eugenia's husband left some 8 years ago and has never been back. Initially he sent money and called often. But after a little while, he stopped sending money, and the calls became sporadic. In the years following, her sons have left one by one, the first one in search of his Dad. Eugenia has tried to make a new life for herself and her two daughters, learning how to cultivate cactus and make cactus products like soap and jam that she sells in local markets. As her teenage daughter Maricruz talks more and more about going to the U.S., Eugenia worries how she will keep what little family she has left together.
When a video letter opens the lines of communication between Eugenia and her husband again, an engrossing and painful family dynamic unfolds. Eugenia has conflicting feelings when her husband makes promises of returning home soon. She worries who will "wear the pants" if he does come, and how her 7-year-old daughter Jessica will react to the father she has never known. Yet she also knows how much it would mean to her daughter Maricruz, who hopes against hope that her father will return in time for the approaching date of her quinceañera (15th birthday) celebration.
Maria Yañez:
"All this here is seasonal, we don't have irrigation. When it rains, it grows, and when it doesn't, it doesn't. The crops are only for eating, and anyway, the price in the market is really low now."
Maria Yañez is a subsistence farmer in rural central Mexico, who, along with her husband Domingo, waits for the rain each year to begin planting corn and beans. As they desperately try to eke out a living from their small parcel of land, another son leaves for the U.S. each year, leaving them to wonder, who will they pass their land down to?
As we follow a planting season in Maria and Domingo's lives, we see them worry about the forces of nature and economics, neither of which they can control. As they grow older, it gets more difficult for them to farm, and they hope their youngest son, who has not yet left for the U.S., will take over the land. But Julio, who has one more year of high school left, has other ideas. "You can't make any money from farming at all. The government doesn't support the small farmer anymore, and prices in the market are really low."
Maria tries to earn a little extra money by embroidering pillows, which sell at a women's cooperative store in a nearby tourist hotspot. Her video letter begins by following one of Maria's pillows over the border and into the U.S. with the American retiree who bought it.
Carmela Rico and Laura Masacruz:
"He said he would only go for a year. The morning he left he hugged and kissed me and the children, and then he left. I never heard from him again. We found out through the television."
The story of Carmela and Laura opens with television news footage of the story of their husbands who lost their lives in the worst immigrant smuggling case in U.S. history - in May 2003, they suffocated in the back of a semi-truck in Victoria, Texas, along with 17 other undocumented immigrants trying to cross the border to look for jobs in the U.S. In an attempt to start their lives over, Carmela and Laura struggle to begin a bakery, but are shell-shocked from their tragedy and frustrated with government band-aid approaches on both sides of the border. Immediately after the tragedy, the Mexican government helped them by donating a large oven and other heavy equipment. But this quick fix hasn't helped get the bakery off the ground -- the equipment stands idle as the woman have no money to invest in additional necessary supplies, and no training.
In a video letter with a U.S. Homeland Security spokesperson, they vent their grief and frustration over inhumane policies that do little to address root problems. Says Laura in the video letter:
"How many more deaths does it take for the U.S. government to say this is enough and do something? They need workers over there, if they didn't people wouldn't be trying to cross the border, and in trying many die. Enough already! Enough death and suffering!"
The Problem
Between 1990 and 2004, the number of undocumented Mexicans living in the United States rose from 2 million to 6 million. Free trade agreements and liberalization policies have made it increasingly difficult for individual farmers in Mexico to make a living. By 2002, the number of farming jobs had fallen by 1.3 million since NAFTA went into effect in 1994. In that same time period, U.S. corn exports to Mexico have increased by 240%, and Mexican corn prices have fallen by more than 70%.
Meanwhile, U.S. immigration policies since NAFTA and more recently 9/11 have focused on enforcement, driving undocumented immigrants to cross at more and more remote places in more dangerous ways, and pay thousands of dollars to unscrupulous smugglers. A tripling of the number of Border Patrol agents on the U.S./ Mexico border since 1994 has not brought down the number of those trying to cross, but has increased the numbers who die trying and the fee paid to smugglers. The recorded number of immigrants who died crossing the U.S./Mexico border has grown from 61 in 1995 to 464 in 2005, while some estimates show that the average smuggler fee has increased from $300 in 1994 to around $2000 in 2004.
While the U.S. enforces immigration policies that do little to stop migration and only make it more dangerous, the Mexican government does little to stem the flow of migration from their communities. U.S. dollars that flow into Mexico each year from immigrants working in the U.S. may be one reason why. In 2004, Mexicans in the U.S. sent back $17 billion, almost twice the amount sent in 2000. This is more than Mexico makes from tourism, and the country's second largest source of income after oil.
Recently, the Bush Administration proposed a guest worker program that will allow Mexican immigrants to work legally in the U.S. for 3 years but then have to return to their country. Still being debated in the U.S. House and the Senate, many say this will do little to stem the flow of illegal migration, since most immigrants won't want to subject themselves to a time limit of three years. And it does little to address the problem of families forced to live apart. Meanwhile, the enforcement provisions that go along with the proposal, including the proposed construction of an additional 700 miles of fencing along the border, will only make it more dangerous and risky for immigrants to cross.
http://www.sidestreetfilms.com/trailer.htm
"How many more deaths does it take for the U.S. government to do something? Let it be on their conscience that since our tragedy many more have died and many more will die!"
So says Laura in a video letter to the U.S. government, speaking about her husband who died trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border to search for work. LETTERS FROM THE OTHER SIDE interweaves video letters carried across the U.S./Mexico border with the intimate stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico. By focusing on a side of the immigration story rarely told by the media or touched upon in our national debate, LETTERS paints a complex portrait of families torn apart by economics, communities dying at the hands of globalization, and governments incapable or unwilling to do anything about it.
The People
The daily lives and struggles of four Mexican women interweave with their video letters, carried across the border (by the film's director) to both loved ones and strangers in the U.S.:
Eugenia González:
"If you invite your father to watch this video, please tell him that I am very happy to have accomplished everything I have accomplished without having to rely on him at all."
Eugenia's husband left some 8 years ago and has never been back. Initially he sent money and called often. But after a little while, he stopped sending money, and the calls became sporadic. In the years following, her sons have left one by one, the first one in search of his Dad. Eugenia has tried to make a new life for herself and her two daughters, learning how to cultivate cactus and make cactus products like soap and jam that she sells in local markets. As her teenage daughter Maricruz talks more and more about going to the U.S., Eugenia worries how she will keep what little family she has left together.
When a video letter opens the lines of communication between Eugenia and her husband again, an engrossing and painful family dynamic unfolds. Eugenia has conflicting feelings when her husband makes promises of returning home soon. She worries who will "wear the pants" if he does come, and how her 7-year-old daughter Jessica will react to the father she has never known. Yet she also knows how much it would mean to her daughter Maricruz, who hopes against hope that her father will return in time for the approaching date of her quinceañera (15th birthday) celebration.
Maria Yañez:
"All this here is seasonal, we don't have irrigation. When it rains, it grows, and when it doesn't, it doesn't. The crops are only for eating, and anyway, the price in the market is really low now."
Maria Yañez is a subsistence farmer in rural central Mexico, who, along with her husband Domingo, waits for the rain each year to begin planting corn and beans. As they desperately try to eke out a living from their small parcel of land, another son leaves for the U.S. each year, leaving them to wonder, who will they pass their land down to?
As we follow a planting season in Maria and Domingo's lives, we see them worry about the forces of nature and economics, neither of which they can control. As they grow older, it gets more difficult for them to farm, and they hope their youngest son, who has not yet left for the U.S., will take over the land. But Julio, who has one more year of high school left, has other ideas. "You can't make any money from farming at all. The government doesn't support the small farmer anymore, and prices in the market are really low."
Maria tries to earn a little extra money by embroidering pillows, which sell at a women's cooperative store in a nearby tourist hotspot. Her video letter begins by following one of Maria's pillows over the border and into the U.S. with the American retiree who bought it.
Carmela Rico and Laura Masacruz:
"He said he would only go for a year. The morning he left he hugged and kissed me and the children, and then he left. I never heard from him again. We found out through the television."
The story of Carmela and Laura opens with television news footage of the story of their husbands who lost their lives in the worst immigrant smuggling case in U.S. history - in May 2003, they suffocated in the back of a semi-truck in Victoria, Texas, along with 17 other undocumented immigrants trying to cross the border to look for jobs in the U.S. In an attempt to start their lives over, Carmela and Laura struggle to begin a bakery, but are shell-shocked from their tragedy and frustrated with government band-aid approaches on both sides of the border. Immediately after the tragedy, the Mexican government helped them by donating a large oven and other heavy equipment. But this quick fix hasn't helped get the bakery off the ground -- the equipment stands idle as the woman have no money to invest in additional necessary supplies, and no training.
In a video letter with a U.S. Homeland Security spokesperson, they vent their grief and frustration over inhumane policies that do little to address root problems. Says Laura in the video letter:
"How many more deaths does it take for the U.S. government to say this is enough and do something? They need workers over there, if they didn't people wouldn't be trying to cross the border, and in trying many die. Enough already! Enough death and suffering!"
The Problem
Between 1990 and 2004, the number of undocumented Mexicans living in the United States rose from 2 million to 6 million. Free trade agreements and liberalization policies have made it increasingly difficult for individual farmers in Mexico to make a living. By 2002, the number of farming jobs had fallen by 1.3 million since NAFTA went into effect in 1994. In that same time period, U.S. corn exports to Mexico have increased by 240%, and Mexican corn prices have fallen by more than 70%.
Meanwhile, U.S. immigration policies since NAFTA and more recently 9/11 have focused on enforcement, driving undocumented immigrants to cross at more and more remote places in more dangerous ways, and pay thousands of dollars to unscrupulous smugglers. A tripling of the number of Border Patrol agents on the U.S./ Mexico border since 1994 has not brought down the number of those trying to cross, but has increased the numbers who die trying and the fee paid to smugglers. The recorded number of immigrants who died crossing the U.S./Mexico border has grown from 61 in 1995 to 464 in 2005, while some estimates show that the average smuggler fee has increased from $300 in 1994 to around $2000 in 2004.
While the U.S. enforces immigration policies that do little to stop migration and only make it more dangerous, the Mexican government does little to stem the flow of migration from their communities. U.S. dollars that flow into Mexico each year from immigrants working in the U.S. may be one reason why. In 2004, Mexicans in the U.S. sent back $17 billion, almost twice the amount sent in 2000. This is more than Mexico makes from tourism, and the country's second largest source of income after oil.
Recently, the Bush Administration proposed a guest worker program that will allow Mexican immigrants to work legally in the U.S. for 3 years but then have to return to their country. Still being debated in the U.S. House and the Senate, many say this will do little to stem the flow of illegal migration, since most immigrants won't want to subject themselves to a time limit of three years. And it does little to address the problem of families forced to live apart. Meanwhile, the enforcement provisions that go along with the proposal, including the proposed construction of an additional 700 miles of fencing along the border, will only make it more dangerous and risky for immigrants to cross.
Documental Sin País
http://sinpaisfilm.com/
Sin País (Without Country) attempts to get beyond the partisan politics and mainstream media’s ‘talking point’ approach to immigration issues by exploring one family’s complex and emotional journey involving deportation.
In 1992, Sam and Elida Mejia left Guatemala during a violent civil war and brought their one-year old son, Gilbert, to California. The Mejia’s settled in the Bay Area, and for the past 17 years they have worked multiple jobs to support their family, paid their taxes, and saved enough to buy a home. They had two more children, Helen and Dulce, who are both U.S. citizens. Two years ago, immigration agents stormed the Mejia’s house looking for someone who didn’t live there. Sam, Elida, and Gilbert were all undocumented and became deeply entangled in the U.S. immigration system.
Sin País begins two weeks before Sam and Elida’s scheduled deportation date. After a passionate fight to keep the family together, Sam and Elida are deported and take Dulce with them back to Guatemala.
With intimate access and striking imagery, Sin País explores the complexities of the Mejia’s new reality of a separated family–parents without their children, and children without their parents.
Sin País (Without Country)__Trailer from Theo Rigby on Vimeo.
Sin País (Without Country) attempts to get beyond the partisan politics and mainstream media’s ‘talking point’ approach to immigration issues by exploring one family’s complex and emotional journey involving deportation.
In 1992, Sam and Elida Mejia left Guatemala during a violent civil war and brought their one-year old son, Gilbert, to California. The Mejia’s settled in the Bay Area, and for the past 17 years they have worked multiple jobs to support their family, paid their taxes, and saved enough to buy a home. They had two more children, Helen and Dulce, who are both U.S. citizens. Two years ago, immigration agents stormed the Mejia’s house looking for someone who didn’t live there. Sam, Elida, and Gilbert were all undocumented and became deeply entangled in the U.S. immigration system.
Sin País begins two weeks before Sam and Elida’s scheduled deportation date. After a passionate fight to keep the family together, Sam and Elida are deported and take Dulce with them back to Guatemala.
With intimate access and striking imagery, Sin País explores the complexities of the Mejia’s new reality of a separated family–parents without their children, and children without their parents.
CREDITS:
Director, Cinematographer, Editor__________Theo Rigby
Sound_______________________________Carolina Kondo, Theo Rigby
Translation/Transcription________________Daisy Rodriguez, Carolina Kondo
Technical Advisors______________________Mark Urbanek, Christian Gainsley
Original Music_________________________Dan Wool
Sound Mixer__________________________Dan Olmsted
Color Correction_______________________Brooke Hinton
Total Running Time__19:35
Format___________16:9 HD
Sin País (Without Country)__Trailer from Theo Rigby on Vimeo.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tu problema tal vez seas tú
Si toda tu vida la has pasado en guerra con el universo, culpando a otros de tus desgracias, si has tenido un problema con + de la mitad de las personas que conoces, y si has tenido problemas con prácticamente todos los que te conocen de verdad...entonces es hora tratar de localizar y mejorar el problema en ti. El síndrome del perseguido y muchas enfermedades suelen ser provocadas por pasar una vida tramando y haciéndoles daño a los demás siempre por ser tú el beneficiado.
¿Generalmente vives comparando tu éxito, tus logros, tu ropa, tus posesiones y tu físico al de los demás? Entonces, aún más, lo más seguro tu problema eres tú. Esto suele suceder cuando la única manera de verse en lo alto es rebajando a los demás.
Aunque muchos no te lo digan la hipocresía tiene patas cortas, y siempre termina por ser reconocida. Si no te lo dejan saber es peor, es que saben que no deseas mejorar y que verdaderamente la relación contigo ha muerto y ahora es superficial y sólo cortés, que no eres una buena persona para tener cerca, pero que es peor tenerte de enemigo. O tal vez sencillamente tu problema es tan evidente que mueve a la lástima y no desean lastimarte más. Tal vez han sido tantas tus manifestaciones públicas que ya dudan de tu estabilidad emocional y psíquica.
Una buena señal para la detección de este problema es si sueles pensar que otros tienen la obligación de darte algo, que te deben, y eso los hace malas personas.Del mismo modo en que tú tal vez nunca hayas pensado tener la obligación de darles a ellos, ellos no tienen ni obligación ni responsabilidad de darte nada a ti. ¿Qué los hace diferentes, excepto tal vez muchas malas decisiones de tu parte que te han llevado a dónde estás? ¿Son ellos culpables de eso? ¿Acaso tus malas decisiones tienen el efecto adverso de hacer que merezcas que te den más y más? Otra manifestación clara es cuando aquellos que tienen lo que deseas, porque se lo han ganado y lo han trabajado, de repente se convierten en tus enemigos. Por eso, comienza a mirar con diferentes ojos aquellos que te han encarado y te han dejado saber cuál es el problema contigo. Cabe la posibilidad de que sólo esos aún tengan fe en tu capacidad de cambio, tal vez sólo esos aún te dan el beneficio de la duda. Los demás puede ser que sólo te soporten por alguna razón que poco tiene que ver con que crean que seas una buena persona. Ya sabes… quien bien te quiere te hará llorar (con verdades). Otra señal, generalmente esto son comportamientos aprendidos, pero es importante saber detectar cuando estamos repitiendo patrones, y aprender de los errores de aquellos que hicieron los mismo y que vimos caer por esa misma razón.
¡Sólo tú eres responsable de ti mismo, nadie más! ¡Nadie te debe nada! Ni tan siquiera tus padres, ellos ya hicieron su parte, los errores los cometiste tú, y no hay situación en tu pasado que excuse lo que has decidido hacer hoy. Si tuviste la capacidad para identificar las malas experiencias, entonces también la tenías para transformarlas porque eso quiere decir que puedes diferenciar los malos actos de los buenos –y esto va mucho más allá de cuestiones religiosas.
Pero, sobre todas las cosas, si al leer esta nota tan impersonal te sientes aludido… entonces definitivamente, el problema eres tú. Ahora… ¿qué vas a hacer al respecto? Molestarte conmigo sería redundante.
La detección es solamente el primer paso del tratamiento.
¿Generalmente vives comparando tu éxito, tus logros, tu ropa, tus posesiones y tu físico al de los demás? Entonces, aún más, lo más seguro tu problema eres tú. Esto suele suceder cuando la única manera de verse en lo alto es rebajando a los demás.
Aunque muchos no te lo digan la hipocresía tiene patas cortas, y siempre termina por ser reconocida. Si no te lo dejan saber es peor, es que saben que no deseas mejorar y que verdaderamente la relación contigo ha muerto y ahora es superficial y sólo cortés, que no eres una buena persona para tener cerca, pero que es peor tenerte de enemigo. O tal vez sencillamente tu problema es tan evidente que mueve a la lástima y no desean lastimarte más. Tal vez han sido tantas tus manifestaciones públicas que ya dudan de tu estabilidad emocional y psíquica.
Una buena señal para la detección de este problema es si sueles pensar que otros tienen la obligación de darte algo, que te deben, y eso los hace malas personas.Del mismo modo en que tú tal vez nunca hayas pensado tener la obligación de darles a ellos, ellos no tienen ni obligación ni responsabilidad de darte nada a ti. ¿Qué los hace diferentes, excepto tal vez muchas malas decisiones de tu parte que te han llevado a dónde estás? ¿Son ellos culpables de eso? ¿Acaso tus malas decisiones tienen el efecto adverso de hacer que merezcas que te den más y más? Otra manifestación clara es cuando aquellos que tienen lo que deseas, porque se lo han ganado y lo han trabajado, de repente se convierten en tus enemigos. Por eso, comienza a mirar con diferentes ojos aquellos que te han encarado y te han dejado saber cuál es el problema contigo. Cabe la posibilidad de que sólo esos aún tengan fe en tu capacidad de cambio, tal vez sólo esos aún te dan el beneficio de la duda. Los demás puede ser que sólo te soporten por alguna razón que poco tiene que ver con que crean que seas una buena persona. Ya sabes… quien bien te quiere te hará llorar (con verdades). Otra señal, generalmente esto son comportamientos aprendidos, pero es importante saber detectar cuando estamos repitiendo patrones, y aprender de los errores de aquellos que hicieron los mismo y que vimos caer por esa misma razón.
¡Sólo tú eres responsable de ti mismo, nadie más! ¡Nadie te debe nada! Ni tan siquiera tus padres, ellos ya hicieron su parte, los errores los cometiste tú, y no hay situación en tu pasado que excuse lo que has decidido hacer hoy. Si tuviste la capacidad para identificar las malas experiencias, entonces también la tenías para transformarlas porque eso quiere decir que puedes diferenciar los malos actos de los buenos –y esto va mucho más allá de cuestiones religiosas.
Pero, sobre todas las cosas, si al leer esta nota tan impersonal te sientes aludido… entonces definitivamente, el problema eres tú. Ahora… ¿qué vas a hacer al respecto? Molestarte conmigo sería redundante.
La detección es solamente el primer paso del tratamiento.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Doña limber: de cuando lo que importaba conocer en la urbanización era el punto secreto de limbers. con acceso servicarro.
El niño en la bicicleta violeta con mangos de goma blancos--¿De qué tiene?
Doña Limber--Tengo de…’pérate, deja vel qué me queda [camina sin prisa hacia el freezer de la marquesina, manos estiradas arropando sus anchas caderas, como si las midiese con casa paso]: Cherry, china, limón, mantecado,coco y tamarindo.
Doña limber- ¿De quince o de peseta?
El niño en la bicicleta violeta con mangos de goma blancos--¡Los de tamarindo de peseta y el de mantecado de quince! [Gritando para que lo escuchen hasta el freezer donde se encuentra Doña Limber enhiesta mirando a lo profundo del arca, lista pa' zumbar la mano en la cueva del tesoro en busca del sabor que sea. Mientras el niño se prepara para estirar la mano y pasarle la chavería de la alcancía por entre las rejas con más curvas que Pauline Crespo en esos días.]
Ambos maniobran para pasar los limbers por los huecos de las rejas. Victorioso, el niño en la bicicleta violeta con mangos de goma blancos le pasa a los limbers a los panas en las bicis esperando. Entierra con deseo sus dedos llenos de tierra en el vaso, haciéndole presión al hielo para que se asome por el borde del vaso como lava de hielo en verano tropical , agarra el limber con la mano llena de mango e' bicicleta, lo mete en el vaso denuevo, esta vez invertido, y se va feliz chupando la pulpa que, como alto conocedor del arte de chuparse un limber, sabe que yace frutocita y blanda en el fondo. Y parte con tremenda sinfonía criolla al compás de las bolitas de colores neón que se deslizan en los rayos de la bici.]
¡SLLRRRPPPPPPPP! ¡SLRRRPPPPPPPP! ¡SLRRRPPPPPPP!
fin de la transacción salva calores de un sábado cualquiera, digo... mucho antes de que existiera Tito.
.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Trópico de Sangre online
Aquí puedes acceder a la película dominicana sobre las hermanas Mirabal.
Agradecería si pasaras por acá luego de verla y me dejases saber qué te parece la película, especialmente al compararla con In the Time of the Butterflies, basada en la novela de Julia Álvarez.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwlqa0wVQcg&feature=related
Sunday, March 20, 2011
La Guagua Aérea 2: El Sueño del Regreso online
Para un glimpse de la primera pelicula La Guagua Aérea ir a:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72B-_VGctWM&playnext=1&list=PLB0B2F66EB8CD5BD6
Agradezco si deja sus comentarios sobre la misma bajo este posting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72B-_VGctWM&playnext=1&list=PLB0B2F66EB8CD5BD6
Si, como yo, te has matado tratando de encontrar La Guagua Aérea 2: El Sueño del Regreso
te tengo buenas noticias, se halla disponible aquí:
2. El resto del film aparece en:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE_YOy8ELdY&p=F8ED5944FF38B765Agradezco si deja sus comentarios sobre la misma bajo este posting.
Heroes de Otra Patria
Here you can access the Puerto Rican film: Heroes de Otra Patria. Click on the tittle. Please leave your commentaries here on what you thought about this movie.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Film Industry Bill Signing in Puerto Rico!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Attend Film Industry Bill Signing in Puerto Rico
Last Friday, The Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis G. Fortuño, signed into law the Economic Incentives for the Development of the Puerto Rico Film Industry Act, a bill that is designed to make Puerto Rico’s current production incentives among the most attractive in the industry. Participating in the event was Jennifer López and Marc Anthony. It had been previously reported, that the entertainment industry power couple was interested in building a state-of-the-art studio in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. At the event, Anthony and Lopez did not make any comments on their plans for the studio. Marc Anthony praised the Fortuño administration for updating the film incentives law, and said, that "all producers have their eyes on the island." Jennifer Lopez said," she always believed in the potential of Puerto Rico."
Under the new law, the government of Puerto Rico has created a series of new incentives and expanded current ones. They include expanded lists of eligible projects, higher caps on existing incentives and new incentives for the development and operation of production facilities on the Island. The law, which replaces one initially passed in 1999, establishes a system of tax decrees very similar to what the island government offers the industrial and manufacturing sectors.
The new law expands the definition of eligible projects to include documentaries, film shorts, music videos, video games and the filming of live shows, among others. It also increases the amount of the tax credit to 25% from 20% for related infrastructure projects, subject to a minimum $5 million investment. Studio operators who qualify will get a special tax rate of between 4% and 10% on earnings, complete exemption on dividends, plus exemptions against municipal and property taxes.
The new law will be overseen by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and the Puerto Rico Film Commission. According to the Puerto Rico Film Commission, a dozen movies, TV series and documentaries shot in Puerto Rico last year brought in $70 million to the economy of Puerto Rico. Over 60 productions have taken advantage of Puerto Rico’s current incentive program, including Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” Universal Picture’s “Fast 5” and Warner Brothers’ “The Losers,” in addition to a variety of independent films such as “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp, “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” starring George Clooney and “Che”, starring Puerto Rican-born actor Benicio Del Toro.
For video and more information go to:
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Governor Luis G. Fortuño signed the new Film Incentives Law on March 4, 2010
Governor Luis G. Fortuño signed the new Film Incentives Law on March 4, 2010. In addition to the 40% tax credit based on payments to PR Residents the new law will include an additional 20% tax credit to Non-Resident Talent. The qualifying media projects will be expanded to include: feature films; short films; documentaries; television projects; music videos; national and international commercials; video games; recorded live performances and original sound track recordings and dubbing for any of the above. Minimum spend requirements will be reduced to $100,000 per project ($50,000 for short films); principal photography requirements will be eliminated.
Jennifer Lopez And Marc Anthony Attend Film Industry Bill Signing in Puerto Rico
Last Friday, The Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis G. Fortuño, signed into law the Economic Incentives for the Development of the Puerto Rico Film Industry Act, a bill that is designed to make Puerto Rico’s current production incentives among the most attractive in the industry. Participating in the event was Jennifer López and Marc Anthony. It had been previously reported, that the entertainment industry power couple was interested in building a state-of-the-art studio in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. At the event, Anthony and Lopez did not make any comments on their plans for the studio. Marc Anthony praised the Fortuño administration for updating the film incentives law, and said, that "all producers have their eyes on the island." Jennifer Lopez said," she always believed in the potential of Puerto Rico."
Under the new law, the government of Puerto Rico has created a series of new incentives and expanded current ones. They include expanded lists of eligible projects, higher caps on existing incentives and new incentives for the development and operation of production facilities on the Island. The law, which replaces one initially passed in 1999, establishes a system of tax decrees very similar to what the island government offers the industrial and manufacturing sectors.
The new law expands the definition of eligible projects to include documentaries, film shorts, music videos, video games and the filming of live shows, among others. It also increases the amount of the tax credit to 25% from 20% for related infrastructure projects, subject to a minimum $5 million investment. Studio operators who qualify will get a special tax rate of between 4% and 10% on earnings, complete exemption on dividends, plus exemptions against municipal and property taxes.
The new law will be overseen by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and the Puerto Rico Film Commission. According to the Puerto Rico Film Commission, a dozen movies, TV series and documentaries shot in Puerto Rico last year brought in $70 million to the economy of Puerto Rico. Over 60 productions have taken advantage of Puerto Rico’s current incentive program, including Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” Universal Picture’s “Fast 5” and Warner Brothers’ “The Losers,” in addition to a variety of independent films such as “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp, “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” starring George Clooney and “Che”, starring Puerto Rican-born actor Benicio Del Toro.
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Governor Luis G. Fortuño signed the new Film Incentives Law on March 4, 2010
Governor Luis G. Fortuño signed the new Film Incentives Law on March 4, 2010. In addition to the 40% tax credit based on payments to PR Residents the new law will include an additional 20% tax credit to Non-Resident Talent. The qualifying media projects will be expanded to include: feature films; short films; documentaries; television projects; music videos; national and international commercials; video games; recorded live performances and original sound track recordings and dubbing for any of the above. Minimum spend requirements will be reduced to $100,000 per project ($50,000 for short films); principal photography requirements will be eliminated.
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