From KCUN-TV in Tucson

Hollywood executives fight to bring film industry back to Tucson
Posted: Nov 13, 2010 5:27 PM Updated: Nov 13, 2010 5:37 PM

Reporter: Ileana Diaz

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Hollywood executives want to bring the mult-million dollar film industry back to Tucson, but they are facing obstacles.

Once upon a time in old Tucson, there were lights, cameras and action. Now, rarely much of that goes on. Production companies are choosing other destinations like New Mexico, so KGUN9 asked film executives why.

"There are two reasons we look at a place. One for the locations for the creative vision of the director and from the business side, what works best for the budget," said John Kilkenney, an executive V.P. at Twentieth Century Fox.

In Arizona, film producers get a 20 percent tax cut. The problem is other states offer tax incentives with 30 and 40 percent cuts. The director of the Tucson Film Office says another challenge is Arizona's restrictions.

"50 percent of the crew hired has to be Arizona residents and they are afraid. What if they can't find 50 percent crew and they only have 49. Then they will be disqualified," said Shelli Hall, the director of Tucson Film Office.

This is why University of Arizona graduates turned movie-makers along with the staff from the Tucson Film Office are urging state leaders to not only renew the incentive but change it. They want the new incentive to have more overall cuts and be less restrictive, hoping to turn Tucson back into the old Tucson it once was.

"It's crazy that we don't come here more because of the new proximity to Los Angeles," said Kilkenney.

"Things change like that. Anything can happen and we're working on it," said Hall.

The current tax incentive expires on December 31st, 2010. State legislators have to choose between cutting the tax incentive, renewing it as it or adopting a new incentive.