Movie boom: 25 films and 10 reality TV shows have been shot in Alabama since 2011

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Twenty-five feature films and 10 reality television shows have been shot in Alabama since 2011, according to a press release sent out from the governor’s office Monday.

“Governor Bentley has prioritized movie production in Alabama,” the release said. “The Alabama Film Office, a division of the Alabama Department of Commerce, works to increase economic opportunities by building and promoting film and the related media industries in Alabama. Since Governor Bentley has been in office, twenty-five movies have been filmed in Alabama, along with ten full season reality shows.”

Since passage of The Entertainment Industry Incentive Act two years prior to Bentley taking office, the state has spent tens of millions of dollars offering incentives designed to attract new productions.

Among the productions that have qualified for tax incentives are “Convergence,” “Counter-Clockwise,” “Grace Unplugged,” “Heidi to the Dresscue,” “Home Front,” “Lifted,” “Mom’s Night Out,” “Nigel and Oscar vs. the Sasquatch,” “October Baby,” “Oculus,” “Perfect Blend,” “SkyHook,” “Somnia,” “The Phoenix Rises,” “Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford” and “Yellow Day.”

The most recent incentivized television hit shot in the state is Bravo’s “Jersey Belle,” which documents the life of entertainment publicist Jaime Primak Sullivan, a Jersey native now living in the Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook.

But while the incentives — which have quadrupled from $5 million to $20 million per year since the initial law was passed in 2009 — have helped Alabama attract productions, they have also been criticized for subsidizing the inflated salaries of out of state movie stars who only spend a couple of days in the state. Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, 50 Cent and Bruce Willis are a handful of the actors who have starred in movies recently shot in Alabama.

Others, including Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, have also expressed concerns that some companies are getting more incentives than they should under the law.

“At the end of the day, if this industry can’t show it’s bringing revenue to the state that exceeds what incentives are, I’m not going to be happy,” Marsh told AL.com. “I hope it’s a successful industry in the state. The only way we can prove that is to get accurate data from these companies and evaluate.”

The Film Office has already tweaked some of the rules that go along with the incentives. For instance, productions must now start shooting within 30 days of the state giving them preliminary approval to receive incentives. Other rules changes that could help keep more of the money in the state may require an act of the Legislature. But it is undeniable that the incentives have started to make Alabama a player in film and television, and industry that hardly existed in the state just a few years ago.

“I think we’ve got to recognize that we want to attract projects that attract talented stars and talented directors, but I think we can limit the amount we would pay and incentivize for that out-of-state talent and payroll in favor of hiring more instate talent,” Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield told al.com last year. “That’s what we’re working towards doing.”

Another movie shot in Alabama that benefited from the tax incentives is “Selma,” a film based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights march led by Martin Luther King, Jr and other civil rights leaders.

Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday will join Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel Director Lee Sentell, and Manager of the Alabama Film Office, Kathy Faulk for a special preview screening of the movie.