Film News
The Texas Motion Picture Alliance pushes an ambitious new incentives bill, to be sponsored by Rep. Dawnna Dukes
By Joe O'Connell, Fri., Nov. 28, 2008
'Lights' Out, but TXMPA Reignites Incentives Candle
The bad news is that Friday Night Lights completed shooting its diminutive 13-episode third season for DirecTV and NBC last week, which leaves the state with nary a Hollywood or television project on its immediate radar. The good news is that you can soon expect a very interesting proposal from the Texas Motion Picture Alliance aimed at strengthening a 5% statewide financial-incentives program that is seen as too minute to matter in its current state. Rep. Dawnna Dukes' office confirmed she will be the House sponsor of the bill. "The desire is to move this through very quickly," says Don Stokes, TXMPA president. "The program is being expanded to give it more impact and to be more competitive."
Among the major changes is a drop in the eligibility for incentives from a $1 million in-state spend to $250,000, a removal of the overall program spending cap, a drop in the number of days shot in-state to qualify, and an inclusion of corporate films, documentary films, and unscripted television projects. While an increase to a 15% film incentive has been long seen as the mark needed to compete with states offering 25% and more, the Texas bill may not feature an exact figure but instead may make that number flexible depending on the project, Stokes says. Also look for increases in the additional incentive given for projects shooting in "underutilized" areas, a new incentive for projects certified as "green," and the potential to include actor/director salaries in the incentives mix if they're Texas residents. "The spirit of what was passed last time is retained; it's just a matter of trying to modify it," says Stokes. "That 5 percent is not really competitive. We're trying to make it competitive." The cause has been aided by fundraising events around the state, most notably Spaghetti Western, a recent Austin event featuring heavy hitters Robert Rodriguez, Elizabeth Avellán, Mike Judge, and Richard Linklater that raised $70,000 to fund TXMPA lobbying efforts before the 2009 Legislature.
And the Rest …
Trouble the Water, the Hurricane Katrina doc featuring camerawork by Austin's PJ Raval, is on the 15-film short list for the documentary Oscar. The five finalists will be announced in the new year... Austin native Chris Adams of Maxwell Locke & Ritter is the new Austin Film Society board president. New to the board is Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Karrie League... The South by Southwest Texas High School Film Competition is seeking short films created in 2008 for its latest competition. The deadline is Dec. 20, with finalists shown at SXSW in March. More at www.sxsw.com... Reel Women's holiday party is Dec. 1 from 7 to 11pm at the Hi-Lo, featuring the Warm-Up and collecting new or like-new hats, gloves, scarves, socks, and blankets for the Austin Children's Shelter and SafePlace.
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