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I ask why is one of the best-known movie directors in the world, making a film about world famous Alabama Airman in Europe?
The ugly and costly answer lies squarely on the shoulders of our state legislature, or should I say at their feet, somebody done dropped the ball!!! George Lucas is currently shooting a documentary of the Tuskegee Airman not in Alabama, but in a foreign country.
Millions and millions of film industry dollars surround Alabama. Many great projects filmed in other states, solely because of our inability to offer production companies incentives to shoot here. Alabama Sen. Tom Butler introduced two bills in the state house in hopes of renewing the sales, use and lodging exemptions that expired in September 2006. The incentive bills did not pass and this has hampered the film commission's efforts to pull in filmmakers, though they have not been deterred. Another group of winners for Alabama, they never quit.
Forrest Gump is among many movies set here but filmed in other states. That is a travesty, an injustice to our population. I equate it to Alabama football being played in Jackson MS instead of Tuscaloosa, its just the wrong place!
The many cities and towns, the businesses small and large that could benefit so much from the input of those millions into our struggling economy. The artist of Alabama that cannot get their projects made here because other states like Louisiana offer a better deal. Do not forget the extras, paid cast in the background that proudly gets to live forever on the silver screen, just the same as any star.
Showing off the landscape and resources of our beautiful state should be a high priority of our state government. Why send Senators Shelby and Sessions on a trip to one country when Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hanks could show our great state to millions of people around the world, and pay us to do it!
I humbly request that the brilliant leadership of our most honorable and great state quit sitting on their hands and Vote yes to bring those movie dollars that are all around us to where they belong,
Sweet Home Alabama!

Alabama citizens and voters, DEMAND these dollars for our state by contacting your elected officials and getting this issue into the light. This should have taken place already and every day our film commission works without the benefit of these incentives, we are watching real money given to other states that should be in Alabama. Unlike other industry, film crews come in and infuse communities with dollars immediately. Imagine your city or local community with thousands to millions of dollars being spent in weeks to months. It happens in states all around us!
Please pass this on to everyone in and for Alabama,
BE LOUD and ask WHY are you giving our money away?!?
Email, Phone, Fax the Governor,
Call you mayor, Call your Representatives!

Alabama Entertainment Industry Incentive Act of 2008
HB356 (Companion Bill SB404)
http://www.alabamafilm.org/AEIIA%202008%20Highlights
%20V5%20031908.pdf

Governor's Office Mailing Address: Governor State Capitol
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36130
Governor's Office Telephone Numbers: Switchboard: (334) 242-7100 Fax: (334) 353-0004 Email by going to this page:http://governor.alabama.gov/contact/contact_form.
aspx
Alabama Development Office 401 Adams Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36130-4106 Phone: 334-242-0400 Toll Free: 800-248-0033 Fax: 334-353-1330
For General Information Mailing Address: Alabama Film Office
Alabama Center for Commerce
401 Adams Avenue Suite 616
Montgomery, AL 36104 Main Phone: (334) 242-4195 Fax: (334) 242-2077 http://www.alabamafilm.org Email film.office@ado.alabama.gov

Alabama Entertainment Industry Incentive Act of 2008
HB356 (Companion Bill SB404)
Highlights
A Qualified Production Company shall be entitled to a rebate for Production Expenditures on funds expended in Alabama
The rebate shall be equal to 25 percent of the State-Certified Production's Production Expenditures excluding payroll paid to residents of Alabama
The rebate shall be equal to 35 percent of all payroll paid to residents of Alabama
Production Expenditures for a project must equal or exceed at least five hundred thousand dollars($500,000), but must not exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000)
A Qualified Production Company that intends to expend in the aggregate one hundred fifty
thousand dollars ($150,000) or more in connection with one or more Qualified Productions in the State of Alabama within a consecutive 12-month period, shall be exempted from the payment of state sales, use, and lodging taxes levied pursuant to Sections 40-23-2, 40-23-61, and 40-26-1, respectively, of the Code of Alabama 1975, on funds expended in Alabama in connection with the Qualified Productions.

Supporting Facts
Alabama’s Entertainment industry is underdeveloped and falling behind as 41 States have
passed incentive programs stimulating growth or has proposed incentives to develop their Entertainment industry in recognition of the role the industry can play in
economic development.
Louisiana was the first to enact an aggressive incentive program in 2002 which resulted in
catapulting the state’s film industry to the top 3 nationally.
Once the Incentive Bill passed in 2002 the Louisiana film industry grew from supporting 5,437 jobs and having $7.5 million in output in 2003 to supporting 18,882 jobs and producing
$343.8 million in output in 2005.

1
The economic impact of direct in-state spending in Louisiana is dramatically increasing.
The percentage of production budgets that stayed in Louisiana was 33 percent in 2005, 72
percent in 2006 and 87 percent in 2007.

2
The Shreveport Chamber of Commerce states that the industry infused more than $360 million into the Louisiana economy in the first half of 2006.

3
Total direct impact to Louisiana's economy is $1.48 billion.

4
The current significance of the industry in Alabama is a tenth of what it is nationally in
terms of gross domestic product and employee compensation and a third in terms of employment.
With the right incentives, Alabama’s Entertainment industry will create high quality, high
paying jobs and the fiscal impact can be beneficial to the State economy.
Growing the industry can spur small business and entrepreneurship development, generate
tax revenue, promote tourism, and help develop infrastructure.
Entertainment Industry growth in the United States will increase from $582 billion in 2006
to $745 billion in 2011
Filmed entertainment will expand at a 4.9 percent compound annual rate, rising to $103
billion in 2011. Digital cinemas will help the expansion of the marketplace. High Definition
DVD’s will stimulate home video sell-through. This increase will fuel the “production engine.”

1 Economics Research Associates, “Trends in Film, Music, & Digital Media,” submitted to The State of Louisiana Department of Economic Development,
ERA Project Number 16686, December 2006.
2 New Orleans CityBusiness, Dec 12, 2007 by Jaime Guillet
3 http://shreveportla.usachamber.com/custom2.asp?pageid=
1158
4 New Orleans CityBusiness, Dec 12, 2007 by Jaime Guillet Page

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