(a) There is created, within the Department of Tourism, the Office of Film Promotion.
(b) The Commissioner of Tourism, with the approval of the Governor, shall appoint the Director of the Office of Film Promotion. Such Director shall devote full time to his duties and shall receive an annual salary fixed by the Governor. The Director shall be chosen on the basis of his knowledge of and familiarity with the film-making industry. Such furnishings, fixtures, equipment, supplies, secretarial and clerical help as may be necessary in carrying out his functions and duties shall be provided.
(c) The Office of Film Promotion shall have the following duties and powers:
(1) To undertake a vigorous program designed to advertise and promote the Virgin Islands as an ideal location for major and minor film productions, including the production and distribution of pamphlets and brochures and the placing of appropriate advertising in various cinematography and other national and international publications.
(2) Enlist the cooperation of other governmental departments, agencies and commissions in arranging and scheduling film productions in the Virgin Islands, establishing procedures to facilitate such productions and establishing within the Office an information dissemination service to familiarize prospective film-makers with local procedures and requirements.
(3) Undertake appropriate promotion measures at the local level designed to foster an interest in all aspects of cinematography and related fields, and pointing out the various employment opportunities available to Virgin Islands residents therein.
(4) Submit periodic reports to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the success, or lack thereof, of the film promotion program, and recommend appropriate legislation designed to advance the goals of the program, including various tax exemptions, subsidies or other incentives.
(5) Establish contact with and enlist the cooperation of private industries or businesses whose merchandise, equipment, facilities or services might be utilized by film-makers in the various steps of the film production process.
(6) Undertake the development of a scholarship grant or loan fund, or similar program, to promote the formal education of interested Virgin Islands residents in cinematography and related fields, which program might be funded, in whole or in part, by royalties paid by film-makers.
(7) Establish liaison with other governmental film promotion agencies in the United States, as well as in foreign countries, in order to encourage the free flow of information and ideas regarding the promotion of the film-making industry.
(8) Perform such other functions as it deems appropriate to promote the film industry in the Virgin Islands.
(d) For purposes of this section the term “film-making” shall include any and all forms, steps or techniques involved in the processing and/or production of items or commodities designed to transmit visual communication through the motion picture media, including celluloid tapes, cassettes or any other vehicle for such transmittal, now existing or hereafter created.
(e) The Office of Film Promotion shall use its best efforts to insure that all film production activities and projects solicited or handled by the Office result in a production which positively reflects and portrays the Virgin Islands and its people.