GFDD and FUNGLODE Honorary President Fernández Negotiates Financing for Film Co-production in the Dominican Republic, at France’s BRED Banque Populaire

France’s BRED Banque Populaire has expressed interest in providing financial and technical support for film co-productions in the Dominican Republic.

This possibility was discussed extensively during a working meeting between the former President of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Leonel Fernández and the President of BRED, Steve Gentili.

A delegation made of Dominican businessmen and other personalities linked to culture
participated in the meeting, which took place at the Bank’s headquarters.

According to the discussions, the financial and technical cooperation of the French Bank would be implemented through an interagency program established between the lender institution and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), of which Fernández is the honorary President.

France’s BRED Banque Populaire funds two thirds of the film productions in
this European country, a policy that also includes the French Overseas Departments and Territories, and the French-speaking Caribbean countries.

BRED’s financial cooperation is made through COFINAGA, a French trust agency that is considered a consumer credit specialist.

Among the topics that were discussed at the meeting was the possibility of establishing the Caribbean Professorship at FUNGLODE and supporting the Dominican Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Environment. These are among other initiatives that the Foundations of the former President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández implements to advance the social, economic and cultural development of the DR and the region.

In addition, FUNGLODE and BRED left open the possibility of creating the conditions for the bank to support an internship program
that would benefit young Dominicans who study in France. The idea is that the Dominican students intern at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or in French institutions.

In regard to the initiatives for training in the film industry, this would be implemented through the Global Institute of Social and Political Studies, an agency of FUNGLODE.

In regard to business issues, Steve Gentili emphasized the great
interest by BRED of having an active presence in the Dominican Republic.

Guest of honor
As part of the discussion, Fernández, as a former President of the Dominican Republic, was invited to make the keynote address of the Francophone Business Forum, which the bank will hold in September of this year.

In this regard, it should be remembered that the keynote speaker at that Forum last year was the President
of the African Union, Thomas Yayi Boni. Renowned personalities of the world of la Francophonie participate annually in the Forum.

In addition, the former Dominican Head of State and Honorary President of FUNGLODE was invited to participate in a ceremony to award a prize to the most successful company in the world of la Francophonie. The ceremony has been scheduled for this coming December.

The invitation was issued to Fernández in recognition to his political, intellectual and academic career, as well as to his current thinking on economic issues related to the regulation of the international financial system.

The Dominican Republic joined la Francophonie in October of 2010, with the purpose of moving closer to the world of the French-speaking countries, taking into account its relationship with Haiti and its
proximity to the French-speaking Caribbean.

Participants
During the meeting with the President of France’s BRED, the former President of the Dominican Republic was accompanied by Ambassador Laura Faxas, Representative of the Dominican Republic to UNESCO; FUNGLODE’s Executive Director, Marco Herrera; and businessmen José Miguel Bonetti, Luis Manuel Bonetti, Antonio Cáceres, Miguel Roig, Antonio García, and
Andrés Marranzini.

In addition, Engineer Cesar Fernández, and journalists, Miguel Franjul, Director of the newspaper Listin Diario, and Wendy Santana, also participated in the meeting.