Superstar Hollywood actor and recording artist Will Smith arrived Thursday to Colombia’s northern coast, where he will be searching out locations for his latest film venture.
Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, hope to expand their production company, Overbrook Entertainment, into the Latin-American market with their new project, “The Scribe.”
The movie reportedly tells the true story of a 14-year-old Colombian girl who, upon being granted asylum in the United States, decides to tell the story of her father’s murder in Colombia in the late 1980s.
The Smiths are in Colombia with their production team in order to find locations to shoot the film. According to Caracol Radio, Smith has booked out an entire boutique hotel in the historic city center of Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean Sea, in order to house the crew but will also be exploring location options in the nearby coastal city of Santa Marta.
Jada Pinkett-Smith is to star in the feature and came to Colombia in April, 2013, to discuss the shooting of the movie with President Juan Manuel Santos and Minister of Culture Mariana Garces.
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Such productions are precisely what was hoped for when the New Film Law was passed in 2012. The law allows foreign film productions with a minimum budget of $30 million to film in Colombia and receive reparations from the Colombian government of up to 40% for production costs and 20% of what they invest in accommodation, travel and food.
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It has been confirmed that the film will be directed by acclaimed Colombian director Jhonny Hendrix.