Filming in Dominican Republic

East of Haiti on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic offers an attractive filming location for producers looking for somewhere exotic and accessible.

The country has the advantages of a 25% transferable tax credit and VAT exemption for productions that spend at least half a million US dollars locally.

Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios offers four sound stages and a full diving and marine department centred on a 60,500 sq ft Horizon Water Tank.

But most filmmakers who come to the island are still initially attracted by its golden sand beaches that run along its 870 mile coastline, so there is still plenty to discover on the island.

In recent years well-known features shooting locally have included Vin Diesel’s xXx: Return of Xander Cage. The production shot on location in Samana and at Pinewood Studios.

Climate

The climate is tropical with temperatures never going far beyond the annual average of 25C. Rainfall, however, is very seasonal.

The wettest months on the north coast are October through to April. May to November is the rainy season in the south. The south is also prone to hurricanes during August and September. The best time to go to avoid the worst of the humidity is between November and April.

The main crops are sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn and bananas.