Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
A new Texas law has opened the door to potential growth of San Antonio's film industry.
Senate Bill 22 allocated $300 million over the next two years for in-state film and TV production projects.
It's projected to make a historic $1.5 billion investment in the Texas film industry over the next decade. It takes effect on Sept. 1.
State incentives and the San Antonio Supplemental Film Incentive fund will give qualifying productions in the city an incentive boost of nearly 40%.
San Antonio awards an additional 7.5% incentive to films once they’ve spent $100,000 here in San Antonio.
City officials said this makes San Antonio's incentives among the most competitive in Texas.
In a statement, they said the "bill opens the door to potential growth in San Antonio-based productions and expanded job opportunities."
“With the passage of this new state law, San Antonio is poised for a major leap forward in our local film industry,” said Krystal Jones, the city's director of the Department of Arts & Culture, as quoted in the statement.
She added: “The City of San Antonio continues to champion filmmaking through sustained investment in the local film incentive program. With screen-worthy locations, free film permits, talented crew, and incentives for projects of all sizes, this momentum signals an exciting new era for San Antonio’s media production industry.”
Jones also explained that it is "guaranteed funding through 2035, and that's really important because every biennium in the past, it's always been a big question mark for the film industry to say, ‘is there going to be a funded state incentive, or will there not be a state incentive,’ so this really helps Texas position itself to be a place that's long term location for a TV series in particular.”
The new law was signed just as organizers prepared for the 46th annual CineFestival.
The longest running Latino-focused film festival in the United States begins on July 9 and runs through July 13.
Almost 100 films, including 11 feature length works, will be shown at several locations in San Antonio. The documentary lineup includes a film about Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.
