Director calls Belize a Hollywood Gem

Joe Knee

Most of the actors including lead actor Corin Nemec have been acting all their lives and have a wide network of contacts in Hollywood. The experience of the actors in Belize is one that they all genuinely want to repeat. Perhaps that is why the production company has consistently returned to Belize to make movies to be shown on the SCI-FI Channel. One of the movie makers told News Five that the government should do more to expose the wealth Belize has to offer to Hollywood because he is constantly looking for ways to incorporate our landscape into his projects.

Joe Knee, President, The Autumn Film Company

“Belize is an unknown gem. The locations that Belize offers are unbelievable—practical locations that in Los Angeles or anywhere else, you would pay so much more money for. When you come down here, there’s everything you could ever imagine; from the open plains to the mountains to the caves, to the Mayan temples. There is so much here and it’s unfortunate that it is not explored. I think your government should really spend a lot more money in marketing what you guys have here for the American film market. There is just too much here that nobody utilizes because nobody knows about it.”

Jose Sanchez

“What was it like working with our local people—I notice you use them regularly in your films?”

Joe Knee

“From landing here three weeks ago—first of all I didn’t know what to expect, but from when we landed until now, everybody is amazing, so nice—so wonderful and welcoming to have that. For strangers to come into somebody’s town, we don’t know what the reaction’s gonna be, but to have them react and welcome us so openly; it not only made us feel welcomed, but it aided our film to become something better than it could have been.”

Jose Sanchez

“Is it safe then to say that we will see you and your crew come down to do more and to help expose what we have to offer?”

Joe Knee

“It is a guarantee. While we’ve been shooting this movie, four or five of us, we have other scripts. Like I have four movie scripts at home, other people have other project ideas. We are like how can we utilize Belize to help bring these projects to fruition. And Belize is the perfect answer.  So coming down here, we’ve already figured out three or four other projects we can come down here, film and bring money into this economy.”

The behind the scenes photos and videos were provided courtesy of Pulu Lightburn.