Cities of São Paulo, Montevideo Clinch Pioneering Framework Deal

variety.com:

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Anticipating the shape of things to come in Latin America, with cross-border collaboration a burgeoning mantra, the cities of São Paulo and Montevideo has signed a wide-ranging framework accord, facilitating collaboration across a broad front of channels.

The pact was announced Tuesday at this week’s Ventana Sur, Latin America’s highest-profile film-TV market and forum hosted by Cannes Marché du Film and ACAU audiovisual agency in Uruguay and its counterpart INCAA agency in Argentina.

Unveiled by the Spcine São Paulo Film Commission and the Municipality of Montevideo, through its Department of Culture and Montevideo Audiovisual, the deal links two of the fastest-growing film-TV hubs in Latin America, São Paulo, the biggest city in the region, weighing in as by far the biggest city in South America and the biggest film-TV center in Brazil which is bouncing back thanks to renewed financing lines from its Fundo do Setorial Audiovisual federal fund, plus the energies of regional film forces such as São Paulo city and state.

Concentrating the vast part of Uruguay’s film-TV industry, Aiming to become a hub which punches far above Uruguay’s weight of 3.5 million inhabitants, Montevideo and Uruguay at large is benefitting from a balanced double whammy of an an ever more ambitious homegrown industry and a significant international shoot scene powered by the high quality of crews and talent and notable low costs of production. “We are excited to participate in Ventana Sur, which is an extremely important and strategic spotlight for the creative economy of Latin America,” said Spcine President Lyara Oliveira. “This agreement with Montevideo Audiovisual is.