Tax incentives
May 30 — Tax incentives have long been the lifeblood of film and television production – they’re what gave Georgia such a stronghold in the industry in the first place. Since President Donald Trump let loose about tariffs in the movie industry a few weeks ago, it seems like film communities are scrambling to make their incentives better, both tax-wise and in other ways.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently issued an executive order meant to lessen the red tape required to make a movie in Los Angeles. California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to push a proposal that would allocate up to $750 million each year for film production in the state. The Texas House just passed a bill that would boost the cash available for productions to $300 million every two years for the next decade, which would make for $1.5 billion in total.
These incentives represent two different pushes from the states – a relatively smaller film community trying to keep local productions from leaving, and a legacy production juggernaut trying to entice runaway productions back to the land of Hollywood. Georgia – which, like many production hubs in the U.S, has faced a slowdown over the past few years – currently offers tax credits for up to 30% of the cost of the production, and recently the legislature reinstated a tax credit for post-production expenditures in the state. We’ll have to keep an eye out to see if Georgia has any sort of response to these incentives coming out of other states.
Without further ado … Action!
This week’s newsletter includes a deep dive into the world of Letterboxd, a look at a movie shooting in Dunwoody, and two movie reviews for “Bring Her Back” and “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.” Plus, what’s playing at your local movie theater this week, a new episode of my podcast Crash Zoom, and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.
Enjoy!
Sammie
Local students talk Letterboxd and creating a film community
Over the past five years, Letterboxd has been taking over the movie world. But what’s really special about Letterboxd is the way it has managed to create a community around movie-watching – especially among younger film lovers – during a time when it feels more and more like movies are losing their cultural relevance.
I recently spoke with SCAD students about how Letterboxd has affected their movie-watching lives.
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HBO series featuring Jason Bateman and David Harbour films in Dunwoody
“‘DTF St. Louis,’ a seven-episode limited series tells of a love triangle among three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead,” according to the online publication DEADLINE. Jason Bateman and David Harbour star in the series.
This is the second such Hollywood-type visit to the same Dunwoody shopping center. A limited series recently filmed at Morty’s Meat & Supply in Dunwoody Village on May 16.
‘Bring Her Back’ is all shock, no value
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
Much like “Talk to Me,” “Bring Her Back” is quite an upsetting film with some good performances, and the Philippou brothers have a real eye for practical effects and nastiness. But, there’s not too much going on underneath that grimy sheen.
It’s easy to appreciate the Philippous’ commitment to the visceral, and to the creativity of the premise of “Bring Her Back.” But, while “Talk to Me” is about as nasty as it gets, this new film is going for something far more sentimental by its end, and it doesn’t earn the depth of emotion it wants to achieve.
‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ navigates new romance through an old lens
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
She’s searching for her Mr. Darcy in a world of Henry Crawfords, and honestly, who among us is not?
But if Jane Austen does wreck all of our lives just a little bit, Piani’s movie believes in the power of shooting for that type of romance anyway. With strong performances and achingly lovely chemistry between the film’s two leads, “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” is about a woman learning to confront the world as it comes at her, and learning that perhaps, Jane Austen still has a lot to teach the modern heroine.
At the Movies
If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
Movies releasing this weekend: 
Special Events:
Crash Zoom: Memorial Day box office and the rise of MUBI
Each week, join my cohost indie filmmaker Aaron Strand and me as we explore how things happening at the highest level trickle down and affect the independent artist. This week, we discuss the death of Cartoon Network, the rise of MUBI, some Cannes updates, and more.
Lights, Camera, Action!
The post ✍️ Jane Austen + oddball comedy appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.