Legislative committee unanimously approves bill to increase film incentives

For months, state economic development officials have wanted to find a way to bolster Utah's film industry. Now, they have a script.

The Legislature's Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Interim Committee on Wednesday unanimously endorsed a draft bill that reworks financial incentives to better Utah's chances of landing big-budget movies and TV series.

The bill retains some of the current structure by allowing a cash rebate of 20 percent of a project's spending in Utah, up to $500,000. That is expected to be attractive to films with budgets of a few million dollars. But a noncapped 20-percent tax credit also will be available, designed to lure blockbuster films and TV shows.

"I'm thrilled to tell you that this bill will both save and revolutionize the film industry here in the state of Utah," Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, told the committee.

The current incentives are at 15 percent. But Perry said 20 percent is "in no way the highest" among states. Utah also has other attractions, including its crew talent and landscapes, he said.

Sen. Lyle Hillyard made similar comments, describing Utah's film incentives as "moderate, compared to what other states are doing, but all we need is moderate."

"We're still not the highest bidder," Perry said, "but when you combine that with opportunities available in the state, we start winning all these opportunities, not to mention the fact that that is also the sweet spot for us to start landing some movie studios here in the state."

The bill also provides preference to productions shot in rural Utah or that have Utah content. That content could include recognizing that the production was made in Utah or using "Utah as Utah" rather than making it appear to be in some other locale.

Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission, said Kevin Costner recently visited Moab and wants to shoot two large-budget westerns in Utah. "We know we have the natural resources, and with a competitive incentive program, we could land two films like this easily, because he wants to go here," Moore said. "He wants to shoot where John Ford shot and that was here in Utah."

Moore also said better incentives could help Utah get more TV series, such as in 2002, when both "Everwood" and "Touched by an Angel" were in production. "It's been a while, and I think we're due to where we can host not just big-budget (film) productions but more than one television series," he said.