Peru

INDUSTRY INFORMATION:

Yearly there are between 10-15 international commercials being shot in Peru, mostly come to shoot in the Andes region and some to Lima. About 1-2 international features are being shot in Peru every year. Recent pictures include “The Motorcycle Diaries.” There is growing interest by other Latin American countries to shoot in Peru. Also, we a variety of Documentary Productions, as well as a variety of TV shows every year.

Union info There is no union. There is only a national council for Cinema. But it is dedicated mostly in the development of local feature films

Film commissions There is no Film Commission yet, PromPeru is working right now to create one.

Co-production treaties The TLC (free trade agreement) has just been approved by the US  government. This will make it easier for US productions to shoot in Peru. Also, there are various treaties within Latin American countries and Peru.

TOPOGRAPHY, WEATHER, TRANSPORTATION & MAIN CITIES

Topography of land: Three main natural regions are distinguishable: the coastal zone (Costa); the highlands (Andes or Sierra); and the eastern hills and lowlands (Selva).

The coastal zone – The Costa is an arid, mostly hilly region between the Pacific shore, much of which is bordered by high cliffs, and the Andes farther east. A low, extremely faulted plateau, a substantial part of which is an almost flat, arable land where water for irrigation is available, characterizes the north. Because of the nature of the terrain and its aridity, settlement is almost entirely confined to river valleys and small sections of the coast, mostly near the mouths of rivers. A narrow coastal mountain range rises steeply just behind the Pacific shore in the southern part of the Peruvian coastal zone.

The Highlands: the Andes – The highlands in Peru are generally considered to consist of two parallel ranges, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Oriental, extending in a northwest to southeast direction. Valleys and basins, which follow the same direction, are generally cited as the structural features that separate the western range from the eastern one. The high peaks and slopes are permanently snow-covered, with some remnants of glaciers. Volcanoes, active and dormant, are confined mainly to the southern part of the highlands.

The basins and valleys wedged high between the Peruvian Andes are interment high-level surface over which, historically, the majority of Peru’s population has been concentrated. The Altiplano of the southern Peruvian Andes (which extends into Bolivia) is made up of some basins and valleys of the high level surface. Only the lower basins and valleys of the high level surface are climatically within the zone suitable for agriculture.

The Eastern lowlands - The eastern lowlands are generally divided in the selva alta,, the higher hilly areas at the foot of the Andes, and the selva baja, the lower areas farther east (espacially in the northeast) that slope toward the bounderies of Colombia and Brazil. The selva alta is dominated by low, gently sloping eastern spurs of the Andes (1,200-3,000 feet) with broad valleys that have potentially arable land. There is a gradual transition to the selva baja, a much lower undulating plain where the relief is dominated by a dense network of rivers and river terraces. The eastern lowlands are covered with dense tropical rain forest. The eastern lowlands of Peru are, in fact, part of the western margin of the huge Amazon plain.

Weather: Coast – summertime is from November to April when it is hot (up to 30oC) and sunny. At other times of the year there is a chilly mist. The coast receives less than 50 mm (2 in) of precipitation each year, largely because the cordilleras receive most of the rain carried by the trade winds from the east.

Mountains – The dry and sunny season in the mountains is May to October, when it can be cold at night. From December to March it can be cloudy and wet, especially in the afternoon, with temperatures similar to an English spring (18oC during the day). Annual rainfall in some districts averages as much as 3,810 mm (150 in). Most of this rain, which principally falls from November through April, eventually drains back to the montaña.

Jungle – The climate is generally hot and humid (about 30oC) with rainfall at any time but especially between November and April. Occasional cold fronts can lower the temperature dramatically.

Peru’s climate periodically experiences a weather pattern known as El Niño. El Niño occurs every three to seven years when unusually warm ocean conditions appear along the western coast. During El Niño the wet weather conditions normally present in the western Pacific move to the east, bringing heavy rains that can cause extensive flooding.

Transportation: Most Peruvians get around the country by bus, as these go just about everywhere and are extremely good value. With the distances in Peru being so vast, many Peruvians and travelers are increasingly flying to their destinations, as all Peruvian cities are within a two-hour flight of Lima. Driving around Peru is generally not a problem outside of Lima. However, the traffic in Lima is abominable, both in terms of its recklessness and the sheer volume. Peru has about 13 percent of its roads paved.   Taxis can be found anywhere at any time in almost every town. Any car can become a taxi simply by sticking a taxi sign up in the front window; a lot of people, especially in Lima, take advantage of this.

Main Cities

Lima: Lima is a boisterous, macho city, relaxed and laid-back, yet having an underlying energy, with money and expensive cars ruling the roost. The city’s population has increased dramatically in the last thirty years, swollen with people arriving from the high Andes to make camp in the shantytowns that line the highways. Lima is brimful of culture and heritage, though it’s not obvious at first. There are some distinguished mansions in the wealthy suburbs of Barranco and Miraflores. But in their own way, there’s a powerful atmosphere in the pueblos jovenes, where Peru’s landless peasants have made their homes. In addition, Lima’s noisy, fast-moving frenetic craziness is mellowed by the presence of the sea and beaches.

Arequipa: An active city, some 2400m above sea level, and with a relatively wealthy population of over three-quarters of a million, Arequipa maintains a rather aloof attitude toward the rest of Peru. Its widespread image as the country’s second biggest and arguably, after Cusco, most attractive city. Arequipa’s deeply ingrained architectural beauty comes mainly from the colonial period, characterized here by white sillar stone and arched interior ceilings. In general, the style is stark and almost clinical, except where baroque and mestizo influences combine, as seen on many of the fine sixteenth- to eighteenth-century facades. Of the huge number of religious buildings spread about the old colonial centre, the Monastery of Santa Catalina is the most outstanding and beautiful.

Trujillo: The city, just eight hours north of Lima, looks every bit the oasis it is, standing in a relatively green, irrigated valley bounded by arid desert at the foot of the brown Andes Mountains. From the graceful colonial mansions and Baroque churches at its heart, Trujillo’s grid system gives way to commercial buildings, light industry and shantytown suburbs, before thinning out into rich sugar-cane fields that stretch far into the neighboring Chicama Valley. At the city’s centre is its dominating force – the university La Libertad , founded by Bolivar in 1824, and surrounded by elegant, Spanish-style streets, lined with ancient green ficus trees and overhung by long wooden-railed balconies. Gamarra is the main commercial street, dominated by ugly, modern, brick and glass buildings, shops, hotels and restaurants. In addition to the city’s many churches, Trujillo is renowned for its colonial houses , most of which are in good repair and are still in use today.

Chiclayo: Chiclayo is the commercial centre of northern Peru, so it’s better famed for its banks than its heritage. Nevertheless it has its attractions, even if most of the city is an urban sprawl modernizing and growing by the month. The heart of Chiclayo is the central plaza, known as the Parque Principal. But the main focus of activity is along Avenida Jose Balta , between the plaza and the town’s fascinating Central Market . Packed daily with food vendors at the centre, and other stalls around the outside, this is one of the best markets in the north. At weekends, Chiclayo families crowd out to the beaches of Santa Rosa and La Pimentel. Santa Rosa is the main fishing village on the Chiclayo coast, from where scores of big, colorful boats go out early every morning, along with the occasional caballito de tortora, reed canoes that have been used here for almost two thousand years.

Cusco: The Cusco Valley and the Incas are synonymous in most people’s minds, but the area was populated well before they arrived on the scene and they simply built their empire on the toil and ingenuity of generations of previous cultures. Today Cusco possesses an identity above and beyond the legacy left in the andesite stones carved by the Incas. Like its renowned art, Cusco is dark, yet vibrant with colour. With the arrival of the new millennium, Cusco has become something of a magnet for mystics expecting it to be re-vindicated as “the navel of the world”. The community spirit remains strong, if diverse, and street demonstrations protesting against council policies are a regular occurrence

PEOPLE, CULTURE & SAFETY

People: Population – 27 million, Urban/Rural: 71% urban, 29% rural, Sex Distribution: 50.4% male, 49.6% female. Language – Spanish (70% of the people), Quechua and Aymará. Ethnicity: Indians: 47%, Mestizos: 37%, Europeans: 13%, Blacks and Mulattos: 2%, Asian: 1%

Most of Peru is sparsely populated, with large areas in the Andes and eastern lowlands almost inhabited. Only a comparatively small part of the country – the coastal region and the high level surface of the Andes- has a dense population. Many people migrated from the higher and poorer settled areas of the highlands to the coastal region and the eastern lowlands. In early 1990, only about one third of the population lives in the highlands, and more than half dwells in the coastal region. About 71 percent is urban, 25 percent of which lives in the conurbation of Lima, which includes the capital, its port Callao, and a number of satellite towns.

About 47 percent of Peru’s inhabitants are Native Americans, some of whom are descended from the Inca who established a great civilization in the region by the 15th century. About 100 other indigenous groups live in the rain forest of eastern Peru. These tribes live in virtual isolation from the rest of Peru’s population, speaking traditional languages and surviving by hunting, fishing, and agriculture.

Culture: Music: The pentatonic scale used by the ancient peoples still survives in Peru, and the pre-Colombian instruments such as the reed quena or flute, the antara or panpipes, conch shells, the ocarina and various primitive percussion devices are widely used today. The Spaniards brought stringed instruments. The violin, the harp, the guitar and the charango, a mandolin-like instrument, are very popular. Among the most popular folksongs and dances are the yarivi, a love song: the huayno, a rapid dance of the highlangd; the cashua, a circle dance; and the marinera or zamacueca.

Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine is one of the best in South America and it’s known not only for its exquisite taste, but also for its variety and ability to incorporate the influence from different times and cultures. As with almost every activity, the style and pattern of eating and drinking varies considerably between the three main regions of Peru. Depending on the very different ingredients available locally, food in each area is essentially a mestizo creation, combining indigenous Indian cooking with European influence. Guinea pig (cuy) is the traditional dish most associated with Peru, and even though it can find in many parts of the country, it is especially famous in the mountain regions, where it is likely to be roasted in an oven and served with chips

Safety : The biggest problem related to safety in Peru is, without a doubt, thieves, for which the country has one of the worst reputations in South America. The dangers of pickpockets and robberies cannot be over emphasized, though the situation does seem to have improved since the dark days of the late 1980s.

Terrorism is much less of a problem in Peru these days than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.