Iowa – the new Hollywood?  It may sound crazy but Governor Culver and lawmakers are hoping to snare more filmmakers with the passage of a new law that provides incentives for movie producers who create their films in Iowa. 

The Iowa Film Promotion Act (House File 892) offers 25 percent tax credits for local filmmaking expenses and overall investments for films shot in Iowa with budgets of more than $100,000.  Details of the program have yet to be determined but there will be an application / certification process followed by a claims submission process.  If you are a filmmaker or investor interested in these incentives please contact the Iowa Film Office for more information.

The new law allows Iowa to compete with surrounding states that offer similar incentives.  It will also have another positive impact.  Young, aspiring filmmakers now have a reason to stay in the state rather than take off to Southern California, New York or Chicago.  According to an article in the Des Moines Register, that is just what three young filmmakers intend to do. 

With the new law and upcoming movie releases like the The Final Season, maybe the rise of the film industry in Iowa has just begun.  Baseball movies could be our ticket.  The Cityview reports another Iowa movie called "Sugar" is planned about a Domican baseball player.  Of course most people remember "The Field of Dreams" which is one of the all time great baseball movies and its famous dialogue, "Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa."  The movie site in Dyersville still remains open to the public to this day.  

I wonder if it is too big of a leap to go from lawyer to blogger to screenwriter?

*I originally wrote this post for IowaBiz.com.