Oregon leaders want to attract more film producers to the state.
Recent filming projects have brought $40 million to Oregon so far this year, and Gov. Ted Kulongoski hopes to keep the trend rolling. In step with the governor, the Senate is considering a bill to increase the amount of incentives available for movie and television companies when they film in Oregon.
Kulongoski spoke at Oregon Health & Science University, one of the settings for “The Untitled Crowley Project,” starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford and Keri Russell. The film, set for release in April 2010, is being filmed in the Portland area and the coast.
Michael Shamberg, the film’s producer, said that Oregon’s incentive was “the primary reason” that filmmakers were here.
The story, about a father’s quest to find a cure for his children’s life-threatening disease, originally was set in the Northeast. However, the tax incentive helped persuade the filmmakers to rewrite the story and set it in Portland. They’re spending an estimated $20 million in Oregon.
Read the full article in the Statesman Journal.
