The World's New Culture Meccas

Artists and producers abroad are taking a growing interest in Tijuana. The film troupe Bulbo, which makes short documentaries on Mexican social issues, is on the verge of signing a broadcast deal with Univision, the largest Spanish-language network in the United States. Others are stepping in to help ensure that the current trend continues. Luis Ituarto, a cultural promoter in Los Angeles, is organizing an exchange program with art centers in New York, Mexico City and Tijuana. So far, he's gotten funding from the Rockefeller Center and the Mexican Banco de Comercio. "People don't want this place to become a cultural void," he says. Judging from the way things are going, that won't happen any time soon.

Scott Johnson

Cape Town, South Africa: Open for Business

Cape Town has long called out to visitors with its cultural diversity, great weather and sheer physical beauty. But until the fall of apartheid in 1994, few actually ventured to South Africa's biggest metropolis. Today, the city is in the midst of a creative boom that is luring filmmakers, advertising talent and fashion models from across the globe. Students from universities and several technical colleges throng the cafes and Internet bars and add to the city's intellectual capital. "There's a great art scene: painting, sculpture, music, film, radio, you name it," says Nodi Murphy, a film director. The country's best hip-hop and graffiti artists are here.

One of Cape Town's fastest-growing industries is film. Its rise began in 1996 and 1997, once the end of the country's pariah status made it possible for foreign film companies to take advantage of the low costs, high skill level and wide variety of locations available in the country. Today, the Cape generates a quarter of the country's film and television revenue, and the film business has grown 20 percent a year for the last five years; most production companies are booked through 2003. "We've seen an explosion of work," says Izidore Codron, chairman of the South African Film Finance Corporation. That's partly because the Cape landscape is so varied--"you can make it look like anywhere," he says. A Cape Town production company filmed much of last year's "Ali"; the same firm last week wrapped filming of a fourth "Home Alone" in Cape Town. Of course, the film and fashion industries require hairdressers, makeup artists, photographers, lighting technicians, crew, caterers, production assistants--in other words, more trendy people.

Another particularly innovative industry has been advertising. Cape Town ad agencies leverage the low rand by offering top local talent to international clients. The clients get camera-ready copy at a fraction of what it would cost at home. One London entrepreneur has launched an entire publishing venture virtually solo--the writers, editors and makeup people all share a small office in Cape Town, just a couple of clicks away. "Of course, he can never tell when we're taking a break," says one of the goateed staffers. The page designer was eating a bag of chips outside a downtown cafe, as the afternoon sun turned Table Mountain golden. For the boss, that's a small price to pay.