Indie Filmaking Heating Up Sunshine State
Pop quiz: what do the following films have in common:
- Blair Witch Project
- Bart Got a Room
- Monster
- Ulee’s Gold
If you answered that they are all indie films with ties to Florida, give yourself a gold star. If you didn’t know that all these acclaimed projects are products of the Sunshine State, then you may want to focus on why an increasing number of indie filmmakers are flocking to Florida as a location.
“Independent filmmakers are increasingly discovering the advantages of working in Florida – we’re a very indie friendly state in terms of resources,” said Graham Winick, President of Film Florida. “Our current incentive program has already brought a 7 to 1 return on investment in the first two years alone, and that’s particularly important to independent film production.”
Florida recently added a separate queue for incentives given to independent films shooting in Florida, films whose main “above the line” teams are Florida residents or Florida film school grads. Did you know that can mean 22% cash back PLUS a sales tax exemption? Click on Florida Incentives.
Moviemaker Magazine put two Florida Cities (Miami and Orlando) in the annual Top “10 Cities in America to be a Moviemaker” where it is the only state with two cities. This year’s list again featured Miami, moving up a notch to #7 on the top 10. We support, nurture and understand the needs of indie filmmakers.
Film Florida promotes Florida filmmakers at many of the state's film festivals, including Miami International Film Festival, Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, and Jacksonville Film Festival. We encourage you to submit to these local festivals so the friends and family who helped you make it can know what kind of a star you are when we celebrate your achievement. Click link on Florida News for where we’ve been and where we are.
Finally, if you are a Florida filmmaker and have a film in an upcoming festival or market, Drop us a line and let us know. We regularly celebrate Florida filmmakers at festivals like Tribeca, IFP, SXSW, Sundance. Our receptions bring in acquisition execs and producer reps, and we WANT to help you. Click on Contact Us to keep us in the loop.