Texas Could Lose the Funding Program that Brings Filmmakers to the State

Lawmakers filed three bills to cut the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program.

By Alexandra HartJanuary 10, 2017 2:48 pm

Texas has been home to many films. “Friday Night Lights”, “No Country for Old Men”, and “True Grit” are just a few of the big-name ones. But the future of film in Texas could be bleak.

Some Texas lawmakers have filed bills to reel in film incentives that have helped bring films and TV shows to the state.

The Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program funds up to 20 percent of production costs to projects filming in the state. Thirty-five other states have similar programs to the one in Texas, Alex Macon with D Magazine says, making who films where a competitive market.

Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) filed one bill in the House and Sens. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) and Konnie Burton (R-Colleyville) have filed similar bills in the Senate. The legislators cite that the program is taking taxpayer money and putting it in the hands of professionals actors and filmmakers.

“Most people working on a film crew are not Hollywood millionaires,” Macon says. “They’re production assistants. There’s design crew, there’s cameramen and camerawomen. These are people who work long hard days. These are creating jobs for working class type folks and middle class type folks.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How much a payment might cost

– What the case is against funding film projects

– How this would affect the film industry