INSIDE THE AZ LEGISLATURE
Arizona Studio Development Updates:
Following the passage of Arizona’s Production Incentive, the Coalition has been closely monitoring the efforts of several possible major studio investment and development projects. No major development projects have broken ground as of yet, but there have been a number of studio projects proposed- from Acacia Studios, Desert Studios, as well as a number of smaller stages proposed to accommodate growing interest from the production world here in Arizona.
The Coalition reached out to the spokesman from the Desert Studios project and received this quote regarding the development’s status following Maricopa County’s Planning and Zoning land use approval last year:
“Due to sensitive non-disclosure requirements in the context of the studio development project, what we can say at this time is limited but substantial announcements are anticipated around the New Year.”
We will continue to monitor closely and will update you all as soon as more information is available for the public from any studio development projects in the future.
Legislative Update:
House and Senate Majority leadership teams were elected in a private internal meeting a few weeks ago. Following those elections, Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Steve Montenegro then decided which committees to create and who should lead and serve on each of those committees for the next two years.
Committee chairs wield a lot of power in the ebb and flow of legislation through the initial procedural dam gates of getting heard on an agenda. They hold the ultimate power to dictate if a bill will be heard at all. The legislative process is a long one and just getting past that initial step of having your bill heard on an agenda can make or break your session.
This year, there are a number of new committees to navigate including the House’s Science and Technology Committee, and the newly formed International Trade Committee. Both the House and Senate have new Federalism Committees. Last year, the Senate dissolved Commerce and this year, President Petersen dissolved Transportation. We expect transportation and infrastructure bills to funnel through the Public Safety Committee, and any commerce related measures to flow through Finance or Appropriations.
The Arizona Commerce Authority was reauthorized last session through 2029, so will not have to endure the gamut of hearings again for five years.
Most importantly, now that we have a clearer picture of all the players and legislative pieces on the board, we have two years to build, maintain, and reinforce key relationships in order to effectively bolster and support the film industry for the duration of this term.
INSIDE FILM TUCSON
UK ex-pat director Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid & Nancy) just finished shooting his third cinematic effort to be helmed in our region. Government Work (working title), was filmed at Mescal Movie Set and employed multiple local actors and crew members over the course of a 12-day shoot.
Also at Mescal, a super-secret two-day film project filmed by trick shot comedy/action troupe Dude Perfect. Details are heavily under wraps, but we'll publicize everything as soon as we know more.
Film Tucson just exhibited at Focus UK 2024, a locations trade show which takes place in London each year attended by hordes of European directors, producers, and location professionals. This market is important to our region because the filmmakers who attend are awestruck by the Tucson visuals they can’t find in their own region.
INSIDE PHOENIX FILM OFFICE
After many months of planning, and Formal City Council approval on October 30th, the Phoenix Film Office is proud to announce we will be transitioning to FilmApp as our permitting software starting after the new year! FilmApp will replace the current system which utilizes Microsoft Access (no longer supported by Microsoft) along with four other programs just to generate a permit. The new process will allow applicants to upload all documents, adjust their application, and track the progress in real-time.
Additionally, on November 20th, the Phoenix Film Office received Formal City Council approval to adjust the permit fee which had not been done since 1995 (29 years!). The permitting fee structure will now allow for “rush” permits, projects with material changes inside of three days, and a low impact permit. This too will go into effect at the start of the new year and a full breakdown can be seen here.
Finally, the Phoenix Film Office was invited to give a presentation to the City of Phoenix Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee on November 25th. You can watch the recording here (skip to the 3:30 mark).
INSIDE THE AZ COMMERCE AUTHORITY
Since 2023 – the ACA has issued the following number of letters to production companies that applied for the Motion Picture Production Tax Credit program:
Pre-Approval Certification Letters Issued: 16
Post-Approval Certification Letters Issued: 2
Incentive Background
As background, pre-approval represents the first step in the application process. A production company will submit an initial application for pre-approval to the ACA. The ACA will take steps to review that the pre-application meets the initial qualifying factors for the tax credit under the statute and program rules. Once the ACA determines that a Motion Picture Production Company is eligible for the Motion Picture Production Tax Credit and after receipt of the requested processing and administration fees, the ACA issues a pre-approval certification to the Motion Picture Production Company and sends a copy of the pre-approval certification to the Department of Revenue.
Following completion of the pre-approved production, a company will be required to submit to the ACA an application and receive post-approval in accordance with statute and program rules before filing to claim the tax credit with the Department of Revenue. To date, the ACA has issued 2 post-approval certifications.
The ACA has worked closely with our city and regional film partners to promote the new program and provide information to filmmakers. As part of this collaborative effort, our staff has promoted the program to local, out-of-state, and international filmmakers at events, through one-on-one meetings, and via advertisements in film industry trade publications. We continue to work closely with our local film partners to maximize the program’s benefit to enhance Arizona’s film industry and bring economic growth to local communities.
ABOUT THE ARIZONA FILM COMMISSION (Arizona Film & Digital Media)
Arizona Film & Digital Media, which operates as the Arizona film commission under the Arizona Commerce Authority, provides critical production resources to help attract and support production efforts in the state and grow our industry infrastructure statewide. This includes providing production assistance for crew, locations, permits, discount vendors, and applying for the new film tax credit, the Arizona Motion Picture Production Program (MPPP). For more information about the Arizona Film Office and to learn more about film resources, please visit GoFilmAZ.com.
ARIZONA PRODUCTION UPDATE
FILMED IN ARIZONA (December Highlights)
Feature (Indie) - Unstoppable (Phoenix, Tempe)
Documentary - Vintage Arizona: The Heart of Winemaking (Cottonwood, Sedona, Eglin, Sonoita)
Reality TV - 90 Day Fiance The Last Resort (Phoenix, Scottsdale)
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