Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Del Crooks - File

THREE INDIAN film producers are scheduled to arrive in Jamaica later this month for discussions with government officials to start production on a feature film and music video.

Del Crooks, head of the Film Commission at Jamaica Trade and Invest, told The Gleaner last Wednesday that she met with several key figures of the Indian film industry during a fact-finding trip to that country in December.

She declined to give the names of the producers or what companies they are involved with, but said they will arrive in Jamaica on March 28. "When we went to India we attended the Goa Film Festival, and coming out of that we recognised India was looking outwardly for music videos, because they aredoing a lot of them in France," Ms. Crooks explained. "I can say it's much more than a possibility that they will film a music video here this year."

Multibillion-dollar film industry

The Indian film scene (known as Bollywood) is a multibillion-dollar industry. Prior to cable television it was largely unknown to westerners, despite servicing a massive market in Asia for many years. When the Cricket World Cup 2007 was just months away a team from the Jamaica Trade and Invest headed to the sub-continent for talks with some of Bollywood's biggest names, several of whom have ties to cricket in their country.

Jamaica Trade and Invest teams also visited the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa, where they discussed potential business ties with Jamaica. Like India, those countries are participating in the Cricket World Cup, which begins tomorrow.