NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 08, 2021) — The following is a press release from the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) dated March 06, 2021, regarding a Variety magazine feature on Nevis.
Variety magazine, the industry leader and standard-bearer for all things related to entertainment has featured Nevis’ ground-breaking agreement with MSR Media to shoot six films on the island, the first and most significant step in developing a world-class film industry on this lovely Caribbean island.
Senior Variety Editor Anna Marie de la Fuente interviewed Nevis Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer Jadine Yarde and MSR Media Producer Philippe Martinez for the in-depth story, and quoted from a statement issued by the Hon. Premier Mark Brantley on the government’s desire to partner with filmmakers to develop a film industry on Nevis.
The article noted that due to the stringent health and safety protocols developed and implemented by the government of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to protect both visitors and citizens, there have been very few COVID-19 cases and no deaths, making Nevis one of the safest places in the world. Producer Philippe Martinez acknowledged that Nevis ticked all the boxes for health and safety protocols that would make the film production possible.
The Nevis Tourism Authority assisted in facilitating the movement of the production crews to the island, including negotiating preferential hotel rates and access to multiple locations across the island. Filming of the romantic comedy titled “One Year Off” directed by Brad Weston and co-written by Kate Wood, Martinez and Stewart Thompson has already started on island.
According to the NTA’s Chief Executive Officer CEO, Jadine Yarde, the production will generate at least 150 jobs, and inject US$1 million dollars into the economy. More importantly, it will increase everyone’s morale as tourism has been halved due to the pandemic.
Additionally, MSR Media has announced the creation of an education program to train local people in a variety of on-set roles in an effort to boost the island’s production infrastructure. They will be hiring at least 30 local actors who will be given acting classes by a Shakespearean actor who has been living in Nevis for the past 20 years.
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