IL Film Tax Credit
“Avengers: Endgame”
Metallica
“Skippers”
“Solstice”
SG + Partners
in the news
Film Tax Credit extended til 2026
Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill extending the revenue-generating Illinois Film Tax credit until 2026.
Officially known as Illinois Senate Bill 1981, the “Film Production Services Tax Credit Act of 2008” offers a 30% discount on the taxes applied to production-related expenses and salaries up to $100,000. Providing an additional 15% tax credit “on salaries of individuals who live in economically disadvantaged areas,” the legislation has acted as a movie production magnet since being enacted by Governor Rod Blagojevich on December 15, 2008.
Governor Bruce Rauner extended the Tax Credit throughout the majority of his term.
According to the Chicago Film Office, SB1981 has had a particularly strong effect on the Windy City movie film industry. According to a February 28 report from the CFO, the amount spent on production in the city has grown from $150 million to $474 million over the past seven years. The total for 2018 was $44 million higher than 2017.
“It’s my job,” says Governor
Declaring, “It’s my job to bring jobs and industries to the state of Illinois,” Governor Pritzker signed the extension during an August 1 ceremony at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.
Joining the Governor for a photo after the ceremony were producer Dick Wolf and cast members from his popular Chicago Fire | Med | PD trilogy. Also present was IL State Senator Elgie Simms, a powerful advocate who described his dedication to SB1981 during a March 1 press conference at Cinespace Studios.
“We have the most competitive credit in the entire country — when you talk about diversity spending — and that is a testament to you,” he told the crowd. “That’s why I have legislation in Springfield right now that will … make this tax credit permanent.”
His vision has nearly become a reality. The extension signed by Governor Pritzker continues until 2026 and becomes renewable in 5-year increments thereafter.
Cow Lamp releases “Skippers”
Chicago-based indie distributor Cow Lamp Films released Skippers, a locally produced film that explores transcendentalism through the leisurely pastime of skipping stones in the river.
Speaking to Reel Chicago’s Joey Filer in July, Skippers writer / director Aaron Wertheimer described the film as “an offbeat comedic blend of Terrence Malick, Jim Jarmusch, and one of those ‘breakdancing gang movies or motorcycle gang movies.’”
According to Filer, the eclectic ingredients make the film a worthwhile dish.
“Don’t worry if it becomes difficult to tell what to take seriously and what to laugh at in Skippers,” he writes. “That is the point.”
AARON WERTHEIMER
SKIPPERS | TRAILER
To learn more about Skippers Cow Lamp release, click on this.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ co-director at Best Buy
Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo will appear in the Chicago Best Buy Store at 2100 Elston Ave. from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13. While there, he will sign exclusive prints and Blu-ray copies of the film, which becomes available for purchase on August 13.
The event is part of Best Buy’s We Love You 3000 Tour, a celebration of the in-home release of Avengers: Endgame launched by Marvel Studios and directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo.
The nine-city extended celebration features special guests from Marvel Studios and the MCU. It began on July 20 and concludes in Anaheim at D23 Expo 2019 on August 24.
To learn more about the We Love You 3000 tour, click on this.
Metallica song thwarts wild cougar attack
A Canadian woman relied on the power of Metallica’s Don’t Tread On Me to repel a prowling cougar on August 3rd.
According to Metal Injection, Vancouver Island resident Dee Gallant was strolling with her dog in British Columbia when she noticed a nearby wildcat doing a “predator walk” behind a thicket of bushes. She stopped the carnivore by waving her arms and yelling, “hey, you stop!” Then she drove it away by playing “the noisiest thing on my phone that would probably scare it.”
After learning about the incident from a social media post by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, Metallica guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield called Gallant personally to talk about it.
Read more at Metal Injection.
“Solstice” wins big at Megafest
Restored in 2018 for its 25th Anniversary with a new orchestral score, Lifetime Television’s first original holiday movie Solstice” — produced and directed by Jerry Vasilatos — won top honors as Best Drama and Best Score in the 2019 Hollywood Dreamz Film Festival and Best Score at the Action on Film Festival.
Solstice was screened along with over 250 other films at the Brendan Palms Casino Theater in Las Vegas during the two-week Megafest.
The award-winning screenplay for Vasilatos’s next feature film project, Shelter Me, was also a finalist in the Hollywood Dreamz Writer’s Competition.
Vasilatos and his composer, Bálint Sapszon were both in attendance to accept the awards for Solstice.
To learn more about Solstice and Shelter Me at Megafest, click here.
FILMMAKER JERRY VASILATOS
SOLSTICE | MEGAFEST
SG + Partners Reps tinygiant
Independently-owned Brooklyn based production company tinygiant has signed with SG + Partners’ Sarah Gitersonke to handle representation in the Midwest.
tinygiant solves problems through creativity and collaboration with their diverse roster of directors producing content for some of the world’s top brands.
Chicago-based SG + Partners matches production resources with the agencies and brands who are searching for their unique talent and expertise.
Send your media updates to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
