New York - The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board will host the Puerto Vallarta premiere of the movie Sundown on April 14 with a week-long trip by international media and celebrities in an effort to promote the city's Hollywood connections, including the air connectivity to Los Angeles, the city's filming location history (over 20 US films have been shot in Puerto Vallarta), and its attractiveness to Hollywood celebrities who continue to find secret getaways in the city.

While in Puerto Vallarta, guests will experience the destination's luxury offerings, gastronomy, nightlife and visit some of the city's celebrity-popular secluded spots.

Directed by Mexico's Fernando Lebrija, Sundown is scheduled to open in the U.S. and Canada on May 14. It is one of two films premiering this year that were partly funded by the State of Jalisco's new filming commission (COFIEJ) and was almost completely shot in Puerto Vallarta. The other film, the Sundance Festival favorite Mr. Pig, was directed by Diego Luna and stars Maya Rudolph and Danny Glover.

The city of Puerto Vallarta has a deep historical connection with Hollywood. It position as an international tourist destination was framed when filming of John Huston's Night of the Iguana came to its shores and with it one of the most talked about love affairs of the past century – Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Placing the then fishing town in the eye of a paparazzi storm with media from all over the world reporting on all aspects of the couple's life and with it Puerto Vallarta.

Since then, the city has continued to attract celebrities to its shores. Celebrities such as Zendaya, Chris Tucker, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello have strolled the cobblestone streets of Puerto Vallarta's markets, taco stands and Malecón with ease and little fanfare. Its secluded surroundings have also provided some much needed private getaways.

With the establishment of COFIJ, more national and international films are expected to be filmed in Puerto Vallarta in the upcoming years, already confirmed is Venezuelan actress Marjorie De Sousa's vehicle, Como Va.

Puerto Vallarta in The Movies

Puerto Vallarta's combination of perfect natural light, year-round summer weather, lush picturesque locations and colonial-era ambiance has attracted film makers and movie stars since 1963 when John Huston brought his cast and crew to Puerto Vallarta to film Tennessee Williams' Night of the Iguana.

Since then more than 30 major Hollywood productions have been filmed in the destination, each considered to be a major contributing factor to the growth of travel by American and Canadians. Cinema fans visiting Puerto Vallarta should not miss the following film locations:

El Malecón

Before the 2011 Bradley Cooper vehicle, Limitless, featured Puerto Vallarta's iconic colonial boardwalk in its high-speed chase, Tinsel Town had already shown El Malecón in Robert Shaw's 1976 thriller, Swashbuckler, the Harvey Keitel feature, Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, and 2008's Beverly Hills Chihuahua, where its arches starred alongside international stars.

Visitors will find the Malecón both tranquil and romantic, making for the perfect setting for a nice afternoon walk while enjoying the many arts and crafts markets, gigantic statues and sculptures that decorate its sidewalk, and free outdoor entertainment, including concerts, theater, mimes, and the flying dancers of Papantla. Many award-winning local restaurants, renowned for unique fusion cuisine, are located right off the boardwalk.

Mismaloya Beach

Made famous by one of Hollywood's most controversial films, John Huston's the Night of the Iguana (1964), this tropical paradise, where the verdant jungle vegetation of the Sierra Madre mountains meets the crystal clear waters of Banderas Bay, is now a favorite among adventure fans who can practice sport fishing and diving in front of the impressive rock formations called Los Arcos (the arches).

Mismaloya was also the location for Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 action blockbuster, Predator. Visit El Eden Eco Park and its surrounding rain forest and waterfall in the middle of the dense jungles of the Sierra Madre where the crashed helicopter can still be seen at the set of the "Predator."

Movies that have been filmed in PV include:

Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Domino Principle (1977)
Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)
Caveman (1981)
Down Twisted (1987)
Firewalker (1986)
Predator (1987)
Revenge (1990)
Gunmen (1993)
Blind Side (1993)
Kiss Me Goodbye (1982)
Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004)
Kill Bill 2 (2004)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Dinoshark (2008)
Sharktopus (2010)
Limitless (2011)

This location has been able to retain its quaint Mexican colonial style, with modernized and updated facilities and services, while also offering sleek, avant garde designs, all framed by exceptionally beautiful natural surroundings. The area can now be easily reached from anywhere, it is one of those few places that, though located just two hours by air from Los Angeles, feels like it's a million miles away.