The Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Embassies of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico cordially invite you to attend a dialogue on the

Film Industry as a Tool for Integration and Development in Latin America

The film industry in Latin America has seen resurgence over the last decade due, in large part, to governments providing financial support to stimulate national production. Nevertheless, industry experts agree the weakest link in the regional film industry today is the marketing and distribution of films among neighboring nations within Latin America itself. Films created and distributed in Latin America can be tools for strengthening and integrating regional identity. We invite you to learn more about the flourishing film industries in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, to explore how they have succeeded, and discover what challenges they may face in the future. (To date the panelist from Brazil has not yet been named)

Confirmed Panelists:

Mauricio Reina is an economist from the University of The Andes where he earned a Masters in Economics; he also has a Masters in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University. Currently he is an Associate Researcher at Fedesarrollo in Bogota where he leads studies in international economics, political economics, and economics and culture. He participated in the research that served to establish Colombia's Law of Cinema. In addition to his academic work, Mauricio Reina has maintained a permanent presence as a commentator in the media; he is an editorial advisor for Revista Semana, a daily columnist for Portafolio newspaper, and a film critic for El Tiempo newspaper.

Hugo Villa is a film production manager. He has participated in various production projects that include feature-length films as well as industrial and educational documentaries for 20th Century Fox, Showtime, and Paramount, among others. In 2005 he became Deputy Director of Funding for Cinematic Production at the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE), and in 2007 he was named Director of that office. His responsibilities include supervision and implementation of business plans to promote the Mexican film Industry, and supervision of production resources authorized by the Mexican government for the film industry.

The lecture will be in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation to English. Inter-American Development Bank. Enrique V. Iglesias Conference Center, 2nd floor, 1330 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, near Metro Center and McPherson Square.

Free admission.
Photo ID required.
RSVP: idbcc@iadb.org