It’s diverse, with both the coast and the mountains bordering it — but talks in the state legislature of cutting the 25 percent tax rebate on film projects are leaving Sands in limbo.
“I need to go where the jobs are, and there might not be any options here,” she said.
Sands is among a group of UNC student filmmakers who once thought of spending their postgraduate years filming in North Carolina, but are now reassessing their options.
The plans proposed
Both the proposed state Senate and House budgets recommend changing the film incentives, with both suggesting the state turn the current 25 percent film tax credit into a grant program – leaving productions with no guarantee of receiving any money.
A feature-length film would have to spend at least $10 million in qualifying expenses to qualify for the grant, under the Senate’s plan.
The discussions come as the expiration on the current film incentives approaches on Jan. 1. The current incentives give productions a 25 percent refundable tax credit on expenses when they spend a minimum of $250,000.
The N.C. Film Office reported in 2013 film crews spent more than $244 million in N.C. and employed over 13,000 full-time workers. Productions like Showtime’s “Homeland,” ” Iron Man 3 " and “The Hunger Games” have been filmed here.
