The Producers Guild of India has signed an agreement with New Jersey authorities to facilitate shooting of Indian films in the US state.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the memorandum of understanding with the Guild on behalf of the state to bolster the region's film industry, which received a boost through the Governor's Film Tax Credit Program, a statement said.
The state of New Jersey, Choose New Jersey, New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission and the Producers Guild signed the MoU to enhance their mutual relationship and facilitate shooting of films.
"There is a natural partnership waiting to be uncovered between New Jersey and Bollywood. Our state has a diverse population and unrivalled geography that keeps us at the top of the list for film production," Murphy said.
"We are proud to be one of the host locations - alongside Los Angeles - of the International Gujarati Film Festival, proving that New Jersey provides a tremendous value that can favourably compete and win against any other US location," he added.
The agreement focuses on idea sharing as well as best practices on film production and promotion. It will also assist the Producers Guild with the production of films and other cinematic content including location scouting and support for Bollywood film production in New Jersey.
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"The US has always been at the forefront of cutting-edge creativity and technology in media and entertainment, and it is exciting to seed new opportunities to collaborate and learn between the US and Indian media sectors," Producers Guild president Siddharth Roy Kapur said.
"We are happy to have enabled new incentives for Indian productions to film in New Jersey and are excited to sign an agreement of mutual co-operation, which will help take forward the relationship between the Indian Film and Television production industries and New Jersey state," he added.
New Jersey has attracted several high-profile films through this program such as Joaquin Phoenix-starrer "Joker" and Steven Spielberg-directed screen adaptation of "West Side Story.