Rio Film Commission
London and Rio Sign Agreement
05.16.2011
Film London and Filme Rio-Rio Film Commission today (16) signed a partnership agreement at the Cannes Film Festival, pledging to develop the exchange of trade, talent and culture within their film industries.
London and Rio are both vibrant film hubs, centres of global trading and meeting points for business networks. The Memorandum of Understanding – signed on behalf of Film London, the capital’s film and media agency, by Chairman David Parfitt, and by Steve Solot, President of Filme Rio - Rio Film Commission, a joint venture by The State Government of Rio de Janeiro and Rio’s City Hall – sees the two organisations officially engaging to further understanding of their respective film production markets for mutual benefit.
Both UK director Julien Temple – who is due to start shooting Children of the Revolution in Rio in September 2011 – and Brazilian film-maker Fernando Meirelles – who is currently in production on 360, which shot extensively on location in London – welcomed the partnership as it promises to encourage more film-makers to work between the two continents.
Meirelles who also shot part of the Oscar-winning The Constant Gardener in the UK capital said: “London has amazing locations as everybody knows, but the reason I like to shoot there is really because you can't get better crew anywhere else." While Temple commented: “Since visiting Rio with the Sex Pistols for The Great Rock and Roll Swindle in the late 70s I’ve always wanted to make a film about the city. Visually Rio is a film-maker’s gold mine and through its music and the people who make it, both the soul of the city and its unique destiny finds its ultimate expression.”
The partnership comes as London prepares to pass on to Rio de Janeiro the role of hosting the Olympic Games in 2016, following the London Games in 2012. While the focus of the City to City agreement will be to share ideas and best practice on domestic and international film production, there will also be collaboration on how the film industries of these two Olympic host cities can best exploit the unique opportunity it offers. This will range from how to manage the logistics of filming during an Olympic Games to using film to capitalise on tourism opportunities.
Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London said: “London and Rio are both fantastic cities in terms of business, tourism and culture. This partnership will see us capitalising on our respective success within the film industry, benefiting from consideration of how the cities differ in order to improve our offer as well as encouraging an exchange of film-making talent. In London we have seen dramatic growth in recent years and in 2010 hosted a huge number of high profile features including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, X-Men: First Class and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret. We have seen previous City to City agreements with Mumbai and Il de France generating real results – boosting production and the exchange of talent and expertise – so feel confident that by forging new and innovative partnerships, such as this one, we can continue to build on our success to date.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “As Olympic host cities London and Rio are working together already, so this new partnership could not be better timed. Each city has its own unique characteristics as centres for film and I hope the link up between Film London and the Rio Film Commission will create new opportunities in film making as well as on the business side.”
Governor of Rio de Janeiro State Sérgio Cabral said: “This historical agreement opens numerous business and cultural opportunities to both parties and allows Rio de Janeiro to offer its wide variety of privileged locations and highly-qualified professionals and to present its rich culture to all London film makers.”
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes said: “RioFilme and Filme Rio-Rio Film Commission have been doing an excellent job in stimulating the development of the Rio’s audiovisual industry and attracting international productions. By signing this agreement we reiterate the joint efforts by the City Hall and the State Government towards consolidating Rio as the leading audiovisual center in Brazil and Latin America.”
Steve Solot, President, Filme Rio - Rio Film Commission said: "The Agreement signed today represents a unique opportunity for Filme Rio – Rio Film Commission and Film London, not only to share plans and information as we approach the London Olympic Games 2012 and the Rio Olympics 2016, but also to further both cities’ understanding of their film production markets and increase cultural understanding for mutual benefit. Moreover, for Rio de Janeiro, city and state, the importance of the Agreement with Film London serves to reinforce the recent international recognition of Rio as a regional hub for audiovisual production for diverse production and settings such as Fast Five, Rio, Five Times Favela - Now by Ourselves, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn."
A central aim of the partnership is for London to welcome more Brazilian film-makers and vice-versa and encourage more co-productions between the two cities – boosting the film business of both countries. Both organisations will also use best endeavours to enable the seamless and most cost effective use of local services and facilities when securing agreements to film across the respective cities.
tags: film-london, filme-rio-rio-film-commission, agreement.
http://www.riofilmcommission.rj.gov.br/news/london-and-rio-sign-agreement
