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State Likely To End Film Incentives

Actress Mila Kunis arrives at the European premiere of Oz: The Great And Powerful at a central London cinema, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013.
Joel Ryan/Invision/AP Images

It looks like Michigan will likely join only a handful of states that do not offer incentives for filmmakers. A bill to eliminate the state’s film office is awaiting Governor Rick Snyder’s signature. 

Michigan Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof is in support of the bill. He says the state needs money for Michigan’s roads.

“It’s kind of difficult situation for me because I’m supportive of the industry. And I think there’s a lot of very creative people that work in it and need new jobs and everything, but yeah we just have other priorities now,” says Meekhof.

This will be the last in a series of cuts to film incentives. The state recently reduced the total pot of credits from $50 million to just $25 million, with all but $6 million going to repay retirement debts it owes to a movie studio in Pontiac—which shot Disney’s Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Steven Miller studies the state’s film industry at Michigan State University. He says while the low budget doesn’t help to bring in big box filmmakers, it’s the state’s inconsistency that has kept them away.

“It seems since this was initially put in place, we’ve revisited the rules and made proposals for changing those rules. The industry doesn’t like that. It makes it very uncertain whether or not they can plan on filming here in Michigan," says Miller.

Last year filmmakers with incentives spent more than $245 million in the state of Michigan.

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