With Sundance underway, it’s clear Utah has a deeply rooted connection to the film industry and supports filmmakers. The Utah Film Commission, which has been operational for 50 years, works to make sure Utah remains a destination for filmmakers from all over the world.
Virginia Pearce is the director of the Utah Film Commission. She said the commission works in many ways to incentivize film productions in Utah.
“So we do a lot of talent scouting, and looking for projects that would be a good fit here," she said. "Utah is a very popular place to make movies. And so our job is pretty easy, given that our locations are so beautiful, and we have an amazing crew and support services, like the Utah Film Studios, it's such a great piece of our roster.”
Jerusha Hess is a local filmmaker who co-wrote and produced “Napoleon Dynamite” with her husband Jared Hess. This year the film celebrates its 20th anniversary at Sundance. Hess said she has shot several productions in the Beehive State and she and her husband love making films here.
“I think in Utah, we're just hungry for movies to come," Hess said. "People are excited when you have a funny indie that you know, a funny indie, it's just, there's excitement here. And it feels like the crew is really rooting for you.”
Nothing is more incentivizing than money when it comes to bringing film production to the state. The more money a production saves in actual production costs, the more money ends up on the screen. For example, there are popular American films that were produced in South Africa, even though the story takes place in Los Angeles. Cape Town acts as Los Angeles and the production actually saves money by flying halfway around the world because of the generous rebate program.
While Utah has a rebate program, it’s not as robust compared to other popular destinations. Pearce wants that to change.
“So in comparison, you know, we have about $20 million to support productions per year, and our biggest competitors, New Mexico, Montana, Canada, they all have in the realm of, you know, either $25 to up to about $500 million a year," Pearce said. "So quite a large scale when you look at it. And that's really what we need to do to encourage production to continue to come.”
Hess said the incentive program in Utah always seems to fall short of other states and it’s critical to keep productions local.
“I've told Virginia Pearce, I'm like, have us go sit in a room and make a pitch to the lawmakers," she said. "I don't know how it works. But we would be happy to say yes, we would love to make more movies here. I think so many projects are being taken away from America even now. Because there's better tax incentives in other countries. And so yeah, whatever we can do to keep our local crews working.”
Pearce said Kevin Costner is filming his latest television series in Utah called “Horizon: An American Saga” which has helped boost the local economies. She said for every dollar of incentive that’s spent, $7 goes back into the community.
Pearce explained there’s a bill before the Utah Legislature that would extend the rural Utah incentive program created in 2022. It supports $12 million per year specifically for projects that shoot in rural counties. It was a two-year pilot program which expires this year. Pearce went on to say there’s a push to get it extended because the state has seen a huge return on the money.
There’s a lot that goes into getting a film made and Utah has been home to many of those who have touched audiences and made a culturally significant impact such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Thelma and Louise,” and the television series “Yellowstone” and “High School Musical.”
The exhibit"100 Years of Film and Television in Utah" that's currently showing at the Utah State Capitol features these and more through 2024.
