February 26, 2010 -  A total of 19 productions were filmed in Fiji in 2009, generating several million dollars of new economic activity and providing employment opportunities to many locals. These productions included television commercials, documentaries and short films.

Commenting on the productions, Mrs. Florence Swamy, Acting Chief Executive of the FAVC said, " The 2009 productions included, for the first time, a Korean production - several scenes of a Korean feature film, "The Honeymoon," were shot in Nadi and Labasa."

Local actors were also given the opportunity to showcase their talent and to be also part of Fiji's first Bollywood film "Pump Up The Mandali" which is set to premiere in Suva next month.

Mrs. Swamy added that "this year, there is likely to be an increase in the number of productions that will come to Fiji." FAVC's production slte for 2010 includes discussions with producers of 20 Hollywood films, 8 from Bollywood and 2 local productions.

She added that since the beginning of the year, there has already been a lot of production activity and by the end of March 2 television shows, 3 commercials and a documentary would have been produced here.

The FAVC will also be working closely with producers of 2 more documentaries by early April.

These plus other projects that are planned for the year are estimated to generate new economic activity of around $25million by the end of the year, providing employment opportunities for over 1000 locals.

The FAVC is working on developing more local talent to support the productions that come to Fiji. As in previous years, the FAVC does this through the Kula Film Awards and Dance Competition aimed at school students. Competition details will be announced shortly.

These competitions will be the catalyst in developing local talents that can provide the core support for future film productions.

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