'Film Day' at Virginia Capitol

You may have heard about a little movie called "Lincoln" that recently filmed in and around the Richmond area this past fall, directed by some fellow named Steven Spielberg and starring some Oscar-winning folks named Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones.

Okay, "Lincoln" was a big deal. The presidential biopic, which is scheduled for a late 2012 release, is, no doubt, a huge source of pride for those fighting to attract even more film production opportunities to the commonwealth.

"Lincoln," which was lured here, in part, with state film incentives, is the biggest film to shoot in Virginia since 2008’s HBO series "John Adams," 2007’s "Evan Almighty" and 2005’s "The New World." That list seems fairly impressive on its own, but for Virginia’s pool of job-seeking actors and production professionals, movie-making just doesn’t happen here often enough; at least, not like it does in California or New York, or even Georgia, Michigan, or Louisiana.

Many have been working behind the scenes to make Virginia more competitive when it comes to enticing Hollywood to film here, however. On Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 7:30 a.m. to noon, the Virginia Production Alliance, which has been urging lawmakers to adopt a stronger film incentive program for a number of years, will once again hold its annual "Film Day" on Capitol Hill to share with legislators how important the film and media industries are to the state’s economy. Anyone who supports the Virginia film industry is invited to attend.

"We really just want to thank the legislators for supporting film incentives that brought jobs here in 2011 and will bring more jobs to Virginia in 2012," said Kahil Dotay, president of the Virginia Production Alliance and an executive producer for INTEGfilms, an independent production company in Midlothian.

"It's clean jobs with nice taxes that don't require the usual support that comes with those taxes," added Dotay. "For instance, on a film project, a lot of folks come into town, pay Virginia taxes on their income, pay Virginia taxes on their consumption, buy meals and housing here, etcetera. But they don't require use of our schools or other government services. So Virginia can use those taxes as bonus income."

Virginia’s current incentive offerings include tax credits, a sales and use tax exemption, lodging tax exemptions and grant opportunities from the governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund. Gov. Bob McDonnell has been a vocal supporter of Virginia film, and he was on board from the start; it was part of his campaign platform during the days when he was just a gubernatorial candidate. Coming full circle, he gave an immediate nod to Virginia film in his State of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 11, delivered at the Capitol, a key location that Spielberg availed himself of for the filming of scenes for "Lincoln."

On Film Day during this General Assembly session, supporters will also ask lawmakers to back the governor’s budget recommendation for an additional $1 million in the Motion Picture Opportunity Fund over the next two fiscal years. "I think it's important to remember that film incentives work," said Dotay. Sometimes it's easy to forget that once the political rhetoric starts."

Working on "Lincoln" "was such an incredible opportunity," said Alicia Ayoub, who was a hair production assistant on the film. "I made contacts and gained experience that I never dreamed would happen." Ayoub said she would love to further her career in the film industry, but if the jobs aren’t here, then Virginia’s talent pool will likely move on to where there are opportunities. "Obviously I would much rather do it from Richmond than have to move to somewhere like L.A. or Atlanta," she said.

At a November press conference with Chris Dodd, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, and producer Kathleen Kennedy, who co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg, McDonnell said "’Lincoln’ will have an estimated economic impact of $35 million in our state. The big screen is big business, and we want that business right here in Virginia." In 2010, the film industry contributed $344 million to Virginia‘s economy, with 2,700 Virginians employed - the magic words for an energized state production community who are ready for more work.

For more information about volunteering for "Film Day," visit www.filmva.com.