Puerto Rico’s Cinematic Surge: Ready for the Global Stage

As the 78th Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24, 2025) wrapped with dazzling premieres and global acclaim, the world’s eyes were on bold storytelling and fresh voices. While Puerto Rico didn’t have films in this year’s Cannes lineup, the island’s cinematic scene is buzzing with energy, ready to take center stage. At CereProds, Puerto Rico’s leading film production services company and creative studio, we’re here to champion the island’s unique voices and autistic vision, inviting filmmakers worldwide to create with us in this vibrant hub.

Puerto Rico: A Cinematic Gem Waiting to Shine

Puerto Rico is a stroytellers paradise, blending rich cultural heritage - Taíno, African, Spanish and modern influences - with stunning landscapes, from Old San Juans histroic charm to El Yunque’s lush rainforests. This diverse ecosystem fuels narratives that resonate globally, offering filmmakers a canvas for bold, authentic stories. At CereProds, based in Guaynabo, we’re passionate about bringing those visions to life. Our full-service team handles everything from location scouting to casting to post-production, with a brand new 20’x40’ L shaped cyclorama wall and large studio spaces ready for your next project.

A Legacy of Cinematic Excellence

Puerto Rico’s film history is packed with iconic moments. The island starred in GoldenEye (1995), where the Arecibo Observatory became a thrilling backdrop for James Bond. Independent gems like Blood In, Blood Out (1993) captured Latino grit and earned a cult following, while The Rum Diary (2011) and West Side Story (2021) showcased Puerto Rico’s versatility for both blockbusters and prestige projects. Puerto Rican talent shines bright, too, with Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro (Traffic, 2000), Joaquín Phoenix, born in Puerto Rico (Joker, 2019), and emerging directors like Gabriela Díaz Arp, whose short Matininó recently turned heads at festivals. These achievements prove Puerto Rico’s cinematic prowess.

Tax Incentives: Your Budget’s Best Friend

Puerto Rico isn’t just creatively inspiring—it’s a financial win for filmmakers. The island offers up to 40% transferable tax credits on qualified local spending, covering crew, equipment, and post-production. With no state income tax for certain projects and streamlined permitting through partners like CereProds, filming here is cost-effective and seamless. These incentives make Puerto Rico a top destination for projects of all sizes, from indie shorts to major features, letting you focus on storytelling while maximizing your budget.

A New Wave of Filmmakers Ready to Roar

Puerto Rico’s next generation of filmmakers is bursting with creativity, eager to share stories of identity, resilience, and cultural pride. From experimental shorts exploring Indigenous roots to modern narratives with global appeal, these artists are chomping at the bit to make their mark. At CereProds, we’re proud to support this wave, offering world-class production services to local and international creators. Our team, with decades of experience across the US, UK, and beyond, is ready to bring your vision to life with precision and passion.

Why CereProds?

As Puerto Rico’s go-to film and video production company, CereProds delivers end-to-end support for documentaries, commercials, music videos (like our recent project for Triple Charm in Aguadilla), and narrative films. Our local expertise, paired with deep knowledge of Puerto Rico’s tax incentives and logistics, ensures your production is smooth, sustainable, and stunning. We’re always on the hunt for the next big project—let’s create something unforgettable together.

Join Us in Puerto Rico’s Cinematic Future

While Cannes 2025 celebrated global cinema, Puerto Rico is poised to steal the spotlight soon. With its unique voices, autistic vision, and unbeatable production advantages, the island is a filmmaker’s dream. At CereProds, we’re ready to partner with you to craft stories that resonate worldwide. Visit cereprods.com to start your next project in Puerto Rico, where creativity knows no bounds.

Let’s make movie magic!

5 Reasons To Film in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is known for its idyllic beaches, historic cities and dense, verdant rainforests. As a film making destination it is highly sought after thanks to its climate, location and natural and man-made assets. Let’s look at 5 reasons you should be shooting your next project in Puerto Rico:

Climate

Puerto Rico is a tropical filming destination with an average temperature around 80˚F (27˚C) year round; typically dry in lowland and humid in rainforest areas. The predictable nature of weather patterns makes planning and preproduction a little easier and allows for reliable scheduling around potential weather disparities. Once a huge rainforest, Puerto Rico now has a number of economic and residential centers, including capital San Juan to the north and historic capital Ponce to the south. In the rainforest areas of El Yunque and smaller forests further west, typical moderate showers occur regularly to keep the lush vegetation well fed and flowers blooming in a range of powerful colors.

Incentives

While most states offer some form of tax incentives, Puerto Rico's Act 27 enables a wide array of economic incentives that help reduce film and media production expenses, including a 40% tax credit on all payments to resident companies and individuals. Coupled with 20% incentive for non-resident entities, qualifying productions can mitigate part of their cost with some of the most attractive film tax incentives in the world today.

Location

Aside from the local topography of stunning beaches, rainforests, historic architecture and naturally occurring caves and rock formations, Puerto Rico is also situated a short flight from mainland USA. As part of the United States no passport is needed for US citizens traveling to work, no currency exchange and no cross-border hassle. Transporting equipment is possible on all commercial airlines, however we are endowed with a wide range of high quality broadcast standard production equipment on the island.

Contrast

Few films take place in a single location or setting, and producers are responsible for deciding the optimal strategy for capturing all required content in the most sensible and economically-minded way. The island of Puerto Rico is a land of stark contrast: from ancient rainforests with tropical plants and animals, waterways and valleys, beaches and deserts to towering modern high rise buildings, historic colonial-era towns and angular cityscapes. Contained within a 100x35 mile island and supplemented by some of the worlds most beautiful beaches in Culebra and Vieques, as well as main island beach-centric areas such as Rincon, Luquillo and Mayaguez. Puerto Rico has hosted countless films, fashion shoots, TV shows and documentaries.

Expertise

It takes a village of people to bring an idea to life and when it comes to film production these people must be highly trained and dedicated individuals that are qualified and able to execute on direction time and again. At any one time Puerto Rico has upwards of three full feature productions worth of professionals in every distinction from hair & makeup through key grip and cinematography. Supported by the ICG 600 out of New York and IATSE 494, Puerto Rico has Hollywood-tier, locally based crew bringing their expertise to each vital, moving part of a full production.

We aim to reduce the work flow of creatives when filming in Puerto Rico, freeing them to concentrate of the creative elements of their respective projects and leave the logistics to us. CereProds has a wide range of experience across different media channels in providing production services at every stage of development and production. Contact us today to discuss your next project.