Texas Border Business
By David Diaz
Known as the “Movie Capital of the Valley” in the late 1960s, Edinburg’s cultural life has been seen as a symbol of the city’s vitality and ingenuity. From the movie theaters in the 1930s and 1940s to the TV revolution in the 1950s, then advancing with cable TV, personal computers, the Internet, the cellphone and electronic tablet innovations, Edinburg’s creativity transforms and re-forms with the changing times.
The informal title as “The Movie Capital of the Valley” was built on a rich history of film venues in Edinburg going back decades, and the visual arts continue even stronger today, with the impressive, 84,000-square-foot Carmike 20 Cinema, the groundbreaking Cinemark Movie Bistro, and the upcoming inaugural South Texas International Film Festival (www.stxff.us), which is set for Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, at several prime location in the city.
The South Texas International Film Festival will bring into clear view the potential value, in terms of economic development, of increasing local productions of movies and home videos in Edinburg and the Rio Grande Valley.
The South Texas International Film Festival– of which the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is a sponsor – will showcase the abundant regional talent of filmmakers, producers, actors, and related professional staffs, and promote the city and the region as a premium site for national and international movies to be filmed.
The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, of which Mayor Richard Garcia is President of its five-member Board of Directors, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg.
In addition to the EEDC, the other major sponsors and organizers of this landmark two-day event include The City of Edinburg, the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, Edinburg Arts, and the Consulado de México en McAllen (Mexican Consulate in McAllen).
Why consider feature films, documentaries, and other visual works of art as economic development tools? Agustín “Gus” García, the Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, explains the potential links between Hollywood, the home of the U.S. motion picture industry, and American hometowns, such as Edinburg.
The many positive benefits of clustering creative businesses was explained by Jamie Bennett, Director of Public Affairs for the National Endowment for the Arts, said Gus García (no relation to the mayor), who cited the following perspectives: “A theater has 1,000 people show up at eight o’clock and leave at eleven o’clock. A museum might have 1,000 visitors spread out over the course of an eight-hour day.
A rehearsal studio might have 30 people coming and going every hour over 12 hours,” said Bennett. “You put the three different organizations in proximity to one another and, all of a sudden, you have a full day of positive foot traffic on a street — feet that belong to people who need to eat meals, buy newspapers, go shopping and take public transportation. You have every mayor’s dream.” Investing in human capital “is immeasurable,” Gus García continued, and that is why the Edinburg EDC is a champion for developing human capital and in supporting projects that help a community prepare its future leaders.
Mayor García contends that the role of arts and culture in shaping community-wide prosperity is a priority for the city. This includes the direct and indirect employment effects of the arts and culture.
“Today’s workforce seeks certain characteristics in the places they choose to live. Places with entertainment options, public interaction, lively streets, and recreational and educational amenities are preferred, along with arts and culture activities and amenities,” the mayor said.
“Leaders in the field of planning and economic development are developing noteworthy, creative approaches to making places of any scale more satisfying to this workforce, while increasing economic viability and competitiveness. This new collaboration between business owners is resulting in increased economic vitality and sense of community between merchants as well as residents, and Edinburg EDC, the Edinburg City Council, and our many partners in the public and private sectors want to capture them all.”
The other members of the Board of Directors of the South Texas International Film Festival are: Magdiel Alfonso, Arts Coordinator, City of Edinburg; Agustín “Gus” García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Letty González, President, Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Dahlia Guerra, Dean, Department of Arts and Humanities, The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg; José Alberto Navarro, Consul for Political & Cultural Affairs, Consulate of Mexico in McAllen; Imelda Rodríguez, Director of Tourism for the Edinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau; Valente Rodríguez, Actor, Producer, Director, former star of The George López Show; Larry Safir, Member, Board of Directors, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, and former Executive Vice President, Entravision Communications Corporation; and Luis Enrique Suner, Filmmaker and Journalist, El Mañana.
