A blockbuster year in store for Majorca...

Last year, some 38 million euros was spent on the island by audio visual production cresw from all over the world filming series for TV, such as the award-winning Mad Dogs for Sky1, award-winning advertisements, namely with the help of Palma Pictures, and movies, including the 150 million dollar blockbuster Cloud Atlas starring the likes of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant. However, that figure could almost double if all the projects which are on the table go ahead and there are scouts already on the island researching for other possible productions. “It's early days, we've got to wait for the producers to finally sign off on the projects, but as the money we're looking forward to a bust and positive year,” Pedro said.

He also confirmed that Harvey Keitel and his screenwriter/actress/ director wife Daphna Kastner still intend to film their latest movie on the island later this summer.

Last year they told the Bulletin that they would have liked to have started filming this Spring, but Pedro said yesterday that the script is taking a little longer to complete. “It should be finished by the summer so then we'll get into finding producers etc. and they'll be back on the island for one final few weeks of location scouting and then we'll start filming,” he said. “We've got eight film productions practically confirmed and another 14 projects pending,” he added.

He also revealed that the government is going to being an Audio Visual Law to help and support the local industry compete with destinations such as Malta and the larger studios on the mainland. “The idea will be to attract private and public funding into the local film industry while also offering fiscal incentives to production companies. This island is could become a fantastic global film set which would create new jobs and also help revive the local economy,” he said.