GCBA/V: Buenos Aires Is One Giant Movie Set

Buenos Aires es la ciudad más elegida para filmaciones detrás de Praga, París y NYC.

On August 3, 2011, In arts & entertainment, ba government, creative class, foreign investment, us companies

by InvestBA

From commercials to TV shows to feature films, the City of Buenos Aires is now the fourth most popular destination in the world for film crews according to a new ranking from Variety, writes Clarin’s Romina Smith. Only Prague, Paris and New Yorkrank higher than Buenos Aires which has blossomed in recent years as a destination of choice for film and television production.

“We want the world to look at Buenos Aires asa movie set the size of a city,” GCBA Economic Development Minister Francisco Cabrera tells Smith adding, “The sector is one of the most dynamic of the local economy.” Sure enough, over 400 companies from producers to editors to distributors make up what the City envisions as a 1,700-acre Audiovisual District encompassing the barrios of Palermo Hollywood, Colegiales, Chacarita and Villa Ortúzar.

Just in the first six months of the year, the City issued over 300 permits for film crews looking to roll tape in the streets of BA including 220 commercials, 33 academic productions, 22 feature films, 18 television programs, 5 documentaries and 5 short films. Smith says BA’s affordability, abundance of creative talent, and diversity of backdrops makes it universally appealing with the barrios ofMonserrat, Palermo, Puerto Madero, Recoleta and San Telmo among the most popular for local productions.

The BA Audiovisual District is one of the fastest-growing sectors in terms of employment, and the City envisions 63,000 full-time jobs when the Distrito Audiovisual is running at full strength. (Full Story in Spanish)