Movies and TV shows that shoot in San Francisco are eyeing an expanded tax credit program to lure more productions to film in the area, in a tit-for-tat race to host Hollywood.
Mayor Daniel Lurie on Wednesday signed legislation updating the long-running but antiquated film incentive program. Under the new version, productions will get a 20 percent rebate on qualified spending and a full rebate on city fees up to $1 million.
In a statement, San Francisco Film Commission executive director Manijeh Fata said the changes “mark a turning point for our city” in boosting the local economy with money from the entertainment industry. She added, “This is about more than attracting productions — it’s about driving meaningful local spending and supporting the San Franciscans who power this industry, from our union crews and independent filmmakers to the small businesses we rely on every day: camera and lighting houses, caterers, drivers, security teams, hotels, restaurants, and neighborhood merchants.”
San Francisco’s tax credit program hasn’t been updated since its creation in 2006. With the changes, it now offers a 10 percent rebate on qualified spending (no above-the-line costs) on the first $1 million and a 20 percent rebate on spending above that figure. Up to $1 million in savings on fees, including permits, police services and use of city property, are also being provided.
In recent years, fewer movies and TV shows have been shot in San Francisco, opting for locations with more lucrative subsidies. Under the previous version of the program, productions were required to shoot at least 55 to 65 percent of principal photography in the area and were only given a rebate on city fees up to $600,000.
“As localities across the state compete to attract more film production, San Francisco must stay in the game,” said Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. “Strengthening our film incentive program will keep jobs in San Francisco and help ensure this important economic activity doesn’t bypass us.”
Productions that have shot in the area include Josephine, A Man on the Inside and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Josephine director Beth de Araújo said the incentives were vital to shoot the film in the city, her hometown. “Having Josephine’s world premiere at Sundance served as a reminder of what’s possible when a city invests in its storytellers,” she said. “These updates to the incentive will open the door for even more SF filmmakers to create affordably and authentically.”
A Man on the Inside producer Morgan Sackett said that shooting in the area was surprisingly easy, which “hasn’t been historically its reputation,” while stressing the city’s “amazing backdrop to tell a story.”
The plan, Joe Talbot, director of The Last Black Man in San Francisco, said, is to make San Francisco a “great film city again.”