Raquel Welch on Lanzarote
In early December, the Lanzarote
Film commission was launched at
the Almacén arts centre in
Arrecife. At the end of a year in
which Dr Who and Oscar-winning
director Ron Howard visited the
island to film, the aim is to
develop Lanzarote’s appeal as a
potential location for films, TV,
videos and advertisements.
he Almacén
was an
appropriate
place for the
launch, being the location
of the Buñuel cinema
theatre– for many years
the only venue on the
island to show recent
arthouse cinema, and a
meeting point for
cineastes from the island.
One of those film lovers is Ismael Curbelo, a local
film producer and director who heads the
Lanzarote Film Commission project. Part of
Lanzarote´s tourist board, the LFC´s aim is to
attract more film makers, of all kinds, to the island.
The main tool of the LFC is a website has been
produced offering comprehensive information
about the island, including weather anmd details
of potential locations. The LFC will also work
alongside film makers to ease the bureaucracy
that can result. Eventually, the Lanzarote
Commission hopes to be fully incorporated into
the Spanish Film Commission.
The green lake at El Golfo, for example, is one
of the most popular filming locations on the
island. But any crew filming there will need
permission from the Coastal department, the
T
22
| January 2015 | The Gazette
Chris Hemsworth,
star of In the
Heart of the Sea
Cabildo´s Environment
Department, the
Canarian Government
and the Ayuntamiento of
Yaiza. And if areas need
to be temporarily closed
to the public, this also
requires organization.
In October, seven
million UK viewers saw
a Dr Who episode
filmed in Lanzarote and the island will burst onto
the world´s screens once again on 12th March,
when Ron Howard´s real-life Moby Dick story In
The Heart of the Sea is released.
These major productions come in addition
to a number of prestigious advertising shoots
on the island.
When asked whether there were any future
productions lined up, Ismael Curbelo answered
positively, but said he could not give further details
of the negotiations underway until an official
announcement is agreed.