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October 18, 2013

Weekly Update from Film Ontario, Oct 18, 2013

TORONTO ONTARIO film office - A partnership of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, City of Toronto and FilmOntario.
WEEKLY UPDATE October 18, 2013
from Kelly Graham-Scherer, Los Angeles Representative - torontoontariofilm@gmail.com

Happy Friday everyone!

As I reported last week, momentum to back increased tax credits in California continues to grow. As reported this week by Backstage below, legislation to expand the program will be introduced in January and may include incentives to film outside the Los Angeles area as a means to draw support from across the state. http://www.backstage.com/news/calif-officials-plot-ways-stem-runaway-production-tax-incentives/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+backstage%2FNews-Features+%28Backstage+-+News%26Features%29

Film friendly Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti is also doing some work at the municipal level in order to keep production in the city. As detailed in the L.A. Times below, city council this week unanimously approved a measure to waive fees for producers who shoot television pilots in the city. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-city-council-pilot-fee-waiver-20131015,0,7378533.story

As L.A. looks to strengthen its incentives program, the production hub of North Carolina is moving in the opposite direction. The generous tax credits that lured Iron Man 3 and Under The Dome to the state are scheduled to sunset at the end of 2014 and this week a blunt editorial piece in the Carolina Journal recommended that they be allowed to "sunset forever". http://www.carolinajournal.com/daily_journal/display.html?id=10556

And finally this week, Ireland made it clear that it intends to keep itself on the radar of film producers worldwide. As detailed in the Hollywood Reporter below, the Irish government has announced it will up its tax breaks for production to 32 percent from 2015 and also extend the breaks for production to talent from outside the European Union, including talent from the U.S. working on the Emerald Isle. The change mirrors the U.K. tax credit, which also allows work by U.S. talent on British shores to qualify. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/irish-government-brings-forward-upped-648530

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