The Dominican Republic (DR) has been making bold strides in its film industry, reporting dynamic growth and earning kudos both at home and internationally. Ironically, what spurred its growth was a global pandemic. As many countries remained in lockdown, DR opened its borders to more location shoots by June 2020.
“It was precisely during the pandemic that we began to present record-breaking levels in terms of production service earnings. We went from collecting revenues amounting to $50 million in a good year to over $250 million,” said Marianna Vargas, director general of national film institute, DGCine.
With health and safety protocols firmly in place, DR began to lure a number of high-profile projects, led by M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Old,” Jennifer Lopez-led romcom “Shotgun Wedding” and Channing Tatum-Sandra Bullock action-comedy caper, “Lost City of D.”
A more recent production is Netflix’s “Nyad,” starring Jodie Foster and Annette Bening, where the Dominican Republic stood in for Cuba from which the legendary swimmer Diana Nyad set out to swim to Florida.
“Reality shows were the first to come back, followed by the movies,” said Vargas who cited the picturesque Samaná province among the country’s most popular location sites, aside from the Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios‘ 60,000 sq. ft. horizon water tank.
“It was precisely the film industry that kept Samaná afloat during the pandemic,” said Vargas as previously shuttered hotels opened up to accommodate the influx of cast and crew.
Sweetening the allure of its stunning locations are the country’s filming incentives, introduced by a film law in 2010, whereby creators of movies, TV series, documentaries, music videos and other audiovisual projects can avail of a transferable tax credit, amounting to 25% of qualifying production expenses incurred within the country. These expenses include pre-production, production and post-production phases. Additionally, projects can also apply for an exemption of the Dominican Value Added Tax (VAT) when procuring goods and services from registered suppliers.
Equally important is the ongoing political stability of the country, Vargas pointed out.
Local production is also booming, with a host of new talent emerging. “There are many more directors, both male and female, making their films, traveling the world, creating a national cinematic identity and addressing relevant themes of the Dominican Republic,” observed director Jose Maria Cabral whose latest film “Tiger” (“Tiguere”) participates in Ventana Sur’s Copia Final section.
“The increase in production has translated into job creation,” Vargas observed, referring to an impact study backed by the United Nations Development Program and the DR Ministry of Industry and Commerce that projected last year that almost 26,000 people would be working directly or indirectly in the film industry.
DR’s more renowned directors are led by Cabral, whose “Woodpeckers” (“Carpinteros”) had its world premiere at Sundance and was the country’s Oscar submission, filmmaking duo Laura Amelia and Israel Cardenas (“La Hembrita” at Rotterdam Fest) and documentary filmmakers Oriol Estrada and Natalia Cabral, whose first fiction feature, “Miriam Mente,” won multiple festival prizes, from Karlovy Vary to Huelva and Gijon in Spain and Cinélatino Toulouse in France.
Also recognized internationally are Nelson Carlos de los Santos (Locarno-winning “Cocote”) whose latest film “Pepe” also participates in Ventana Sur’s Copia Final; documentarian Tatiana Fernandez (“Vals de Santo Domingo”), Ulla Prida (“Carajita”), Iván Herrera, whose “Bantú Mama” participated in the BFI London Film Festival, South by Southwest, Third Horizon Film Festival and repped DR at the Oscars last year.
“There are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) when measuring the growth of the industry, which other countries are using,” said Vargas, adding, “We have been measuring the reach of national productions on streaming platforms and festivals because we are aware that box office sales have become obsolete as a unit of measurement.”
According to DGCine, among the streamers, Prime Video has picked up the most titles from the Caribbean nation with more than 20 pics, followed by Max (6), Filmin (3), the Criterion Channel (3) and Netflix (2).
In 2023, Dominican pics had their strongest presence in the festivals of Locarno, Huelva, and Cartagena and in the audiovisual markets of Ventana Sur and Cannes’ Marché du Film.
Locarno’s Open Doors saw the emergence of Dominican Genésis Valenzuela and her producer Wendy Espinal with their docu-fiction-essay hybrid “Three Bullets” (“Tres Balas”), which was Open Doors’ biggest winner, taking home multiple awards, including a substantial CHF20,000 ($22,000) from Visions Sud Est.
Up and coming producer Gregorio Rodriguez (docu “La Lengua del Agua”) was also selected to participate in Locarno’s Open Doors Producer’s Lab this year.
Other emerging talent include: Victoria Linares (“Ramona” at the Berlinale, BFI London Film Fest); Pablo Chea (“Croma Kid,” Rotterdam, BFI London); Sterlyn Ramírez and Gabriella Moses (“Boca Chica,” winner of Nora Ephron Award, Tribeca); Tomás Pichardo Espaillat (animated feature “Olivia y las Nubes,” 2019 Ventana Sur honorary mention) and Mariel Aponte (“Mr. Optimus,” Docs Lab, Docs Mx).
DGCine introduced a strategic initiative this year that offers various forms of assistance. This includes partnering with international festivals and markets in order to collaborate on open calls and inviting Dominican filmmakers to apply. Conversely, local filmmakers seeking support for their participation in specific international events can formally request assistance from DGCine.
“We’re placing a strong emphasis on training, which is not necessarily limited to programs held in the Dominican Republic,” said Vargas who cited a newly created residency in Extremadura. “If they qualify, we will support them with the cost of the flights and cover part of the residency fees,” she added.
DGCine is also fostering more co-productions. “It’s a perfect tool for the circulation of content; it enables us to enter another market beyond our half island and get to know and showcase Dominican talent internationally,” said Vargas, adding: “I’m not just referring to those in front of the camera but those behind the camera, who are increasingly seen as talent, like producer Wendy Espinal who is currently working on productions in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Spain.” She noted: “When Dominicans work alongside or parallel to someone from Argentina, which has a much older film industry than ours, they absorb, they learn.”
