Representatives of the US and Mexican film industries agreed to push for tax incentives to spur investment in local production at a meeting in Mexico City last week (September 20).

The third annual meeting of the US-Mexico Bilateral Film Industry Committee aimed to press the importance of reactivating the local film industry and foreign production in Mexico to president-elect Vicente Fox's new government.

The committee drafted a proposal which would "seek the reduction of obstacles to film production in Mexico, as well as to establish mechanisms and necessary incentives to promote national film production in this country."

Various sub-committees were formed, including one designed to compile statistics and film industry information which will in turn help determine the economic and social impact of an active film industry.

A workshop sub-committee has been asked to define the focus, place, date and participants of future training workshops targeted at professionals. These will be held outside Mexico City next year.

The film project sub-committee will present a proposal for the recognition and promotion of viable film projects to be sponsored by the bilateral committee.

The committee also reviewed the issue of intellectual property violations in Mexico and agreed to step up efforts to combat the problem as well as maintain this item permanently on the bilateral committee meeting agendas. The next meeting is slated to be held in Los Angeles during the last week of February 2001.

The following entities participated in the meeting:

US Delegation:
Motion Picture Association (MPA)
Writers Guild of America
US Embassy
MPA Anti-Piracy
Buena Vista/Columbia TriStar Films of Mexico
20th Century Fox Film de Mexico S.A.
Television Association of Programmers (TAP) - Latin America
Mexico Home Video Association (AMV)

Mexican Delegation:
General Writers Society of Mexico (SOGEM)
Union of Film Industry Workers (STPC)
National Film Industry Chamber (CANACINE)
Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE)
Directors Society
Film Office of Ministry of State (Direccion de Cinematografia)
Mexican Producers and Distributors Association
Mexican Association of Independent Producers
Federation of Film and Audiovisual Media Cooperatives
Organizacion Ramirez (exhibitor)
CINEMEX (exhibitor)
Fundacion Carmen Toscano