Written by on Oct 5, 2011. Posted in Incentive News

Michigan stops taking location filming incentive applications for 2011-12

The long-term prospects for Michigan’s film industry are very much up in the air. Right now the state's hosting Sam Raimi's big-budget Oz: The Great and Powerful, but its annual film fund has been slashed and the film office is no longer accepting incentive applications for 2011-12.

Carrie Jones is Director of the Michigan Film Office: “We simply do not yet have answers to many of the most basic questions projects have when applying for the film incentives. We also want to ensure all projects approved under the new funding are approved using the same set of criteria regardless of when in the fiscal year they apply.”

We simply do not yet have answers to many of the most basic questions projects have when applying for the film incentives.

Carrie Jones, Michigan Film Office

Raimi’s project alone is receiving around USD40 million under the previous terms of the incentive scheme. Under the new rules the state has just USD25 million to share among all successful applicants throughout 2011-12. Less than USD1 million remains for this fiscal year, with around 60 projects still waiting for approval.

The film office aims to re-open the application process when new legislation clarifies how the funding is to be allocated.