By Jill McLaughlin
A slate of major studio and independent feature films was selected to receive funding from California’s latest round of tax credits by the California Film Commission, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced June 23.
“California didn’t earn its role as the heart of the entertainment world by accident—it was built over generations by skilled workers and creative talent pushing boundaries,” Newsom said in a statement Monday.
Last year, Newsom proposed more than doubling the tax incentive program to $750 million annually, up from the $330 million it currently provides as a way to retain filmmakers in the state, but that has yet to be approved by the Legislature.
“Today’s awards help ensure this legacy continues, keeping cameras rolling here at home, supporting thousands of crew members behind the scenes and boosting local economies that depend on a strong film and television industry,” he added.
The films are expected to generate $664 million in total spending throughout the state, including more than $302 million in wages for California workers, according to the governor’s estimates.
The projects, which include 43 independent films, are slated to hire 6,515 cast and crew members, as well as 32,000 background performers across 1,346 filming days.
Five major studio features were selected for the tax credits Monday. These include Sony Pictures’ “One of Them Days Sequel”—the latest film produced by American actress Issa Rae, known for her popular YouTube series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” and the HBO comedy series “Insecure.” The film is expected to spend more than $39 million in California.
Six independently produced features with budgets over $10 million, such as “Gold Mountain,” “The Teller,” and “They Follow,” also qualified and plan to film outside the Los Angeles area.
Another 37 independent projects with budgets of $10 million or less were also accepted for the tax credits and are “contributing to the state’s goal of expanding access to underrepresented filmmakers and promoting more inclusive storytelling,” Newsom said.
More than half of the films will be shot in the Los Angeles area, according to Newsom.
Other locations to be used by the filmmakers will be Ventura County, San Francisco and the Bay Area, and El Dorado, Placer, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Kern counties. The communities to be filmed will include Half Moon Bay, Costa Mesa, and Bakersfield.
An entertainment industry report released in May by the Milken Institute, a California-based think tank, said low incentives and complicated state regulations, combined with high housing and business costs, have pushed filmmakers to favor other states or international sites.
Monday’s awards were the ninth allocation since July 1, 2024.
“The industry is core to California’s creative economy and keeping production here at home is more important than ever,” said Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission. “This round of tax credits shows our commitment to supporting both indie and studio productions while spreading the economic benefits of filming across the state.”
