Although the year 2020 meant the paralysis of film productions and the filming of some other projects with strict biosafety measures, 2021 is looming as a year in which Latin American cinema will consolidate a new turn as film houses focused their interest on the market in the region.
An example of this are the acquisitions of cinema created and starred by the Latino community by content distributors Netflix, HBO and Disney +, while Apple TV is still in negotiations to get content made and produced in Latin America between 2021 and 2022 .
Panamanian filmmaker Terri Thrush attributes this context to the protests of the collective in defense of African Americans called Black Lives Matter (Black Lives Matter, in English) and its influence in the film industry on the growing need to increase the representativeness of social minorities , as is the Latino community.
“They realized worldwide that we are more than 60 million Latinos on the planet and counting. You have to weigh who has the purchasing power to go and buy a Netflix membership or pay a ticket to go to the movies, “he said.
The success of the drama series Mayans M.C. of the US network FX, which has among its protagonists Latin actors like JD Pardo and Clayton Cárdenas, is a reliable proof of those productions that are in the continuous search for Latin talent. This series is heading for the third season.
Similarly, this trend has been experienced with series created and originated in Spain, as is the case of The Paper House, which generates a furor around the series.
Mexico, Argentina and Spain, as well as other countries, have attractive productions for international audiences looking to enjoy good cinema.
Thrush also claimed that this is the best time to look for opportunities in film and television.
“I have great faith in Panamanian talent and high hopes of working with many more,” he said.
Filming with prevention
Thrush added that in the filming of new projects planned for next year in the film industry, biosecurity measures are being strictly adopted after the producers of the United States movie houses worked together with the doctors in search of solutions to carry out projects safely.
One of these measures is that everyone involved in a production – be they actors, directors, makeup artists, as well as the entire team – has to go through a test for the virus before working in the film studio. If the test is negative after 24 hours, you can go to work using the appropriate protection and keeping your physical distance.
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