California expands film tax credits, as desert filmmakers chase their own dreams
Garrett Hottle
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ). California’s film industry is getting a major boost. Governor Gavin Newsom announced 52 film projects will receive new state tax credits through the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program, expected to generate more than $1.4 billion in economic activity statewide.
The lineup includes major titles like Jumanji and Heat 2, and is projected to employ nearly 8,900 cast and crew along with 46,400 background performers across 1,664 filming days. Officials say this round also sets a record for out-of-Los Angeles filming, with 511 days scheduled in 38 counties including San Bernardino and Imperial spreading production jobs and local spending beyond Hollywood.
“We’re welcoming projects from major franchises to independent films led by visionary artists,” said Colleen Bell, Director of the California Film Commission. “With 52 new projects, we’re seeing storytelling thrive once again, creating thousands of jobs and supporting local businesses.”
While the state program aims to attract both major studios and independent filmmakers, not every project qualifies. One who knows that struggle firsthand is Mike Caravella, a local filmmaker who self-financed his feature Astral Plane Drifter a genre-bending Western-sci-fi-comedy shot almost entirely in the High Desert.
He calls his film a “Western, sci-fi, kung-fu, grindhouse stoner comedy” made with sweat equity and community support. “It was a hustle and sometimes a hassle, but we pushed our chips in and went for it,” he said.
I’m a guy who believes in perseverance,” hesaid. “Once I get something in my mind, I just keep going until it’s done.”
His film screens this weekend at the Palm Screams Film Festival at Festival Theaters in downtown Palm Springs, highlighting how local creators are still finding ways to keep California’s filmmaking spirit alive.