Written by on Nov 17, 2011. Posted in Incentive News

Alaska group calls for greater transparency in state filming incentive

Nascent group the Alaska Film Alliance wants changes to the state’s still-young filming incentives. The organisation is concerned that Alaska is paying out more money to out-of-state filmmakers than it’s making from hosting their shoots in the first place, and it’s looking for reform.

The alliance is calling for greater transparency in the way in which out-of-state filming projects are brought to Alaska, as it feels at the moment some servicing companies aren’t being given a fair chance to make bids for involvement. It also wants changes made to the way the tax credits are given out.

The programme needs to be transparent, competitive and good for all Alaskans, and we will work toward having a bill that will best serve our state.

Ron Holmstrom, Screen Actors’ Guild and Alaska Film Alliance

Ron Holmstrom is the Screen Actors’ Guild representative for Alaska and a member of the Alaska Film Alliance: “To date the small group that engineered the passage of the initial programme has managed to become the gate keepers, so to speak, of the industry and also has a monopoly on information and job placement.

“The programme needs to be transparent, competitive and good for all Alaskans, and we will work toward having a bill that will best serve our state.”

Alaska’s filming incentive scheme runs to the end of 2013 and a decision about whether or not to extend it by another ten years at a cost of USD200 million was recently held off by state authorities. At the moment qualifying productions can get credits of up to 44% depending on where and when in the state they film.