Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Epic valleys, sweeping rock canyons, expansive plateaus, shooting mountain ranges and miles and miles of desert ecosystems — all things that make up the perfect setting for a Western epic.
Kevin Costner would agree, too, as he honed in on the Beehive State as a potential filming location for his long-anticipated Western epic "Horizon." The Western cinematic universe Costner envisions would be made up of five movies and would supplement whatever rural economy Costner chooses to film in, to the tune of $50 million.
Bringing a film project of this magnitude to Utah requires a financial incentive to attract filmmakers and make the state an appealing destination — beyond just aestheics — to produce movies.
"A lot of Utahns don't realize that our film industry has become quite vulnerable in the past few years," said Alecia Williams, executive director of Cinema Slopes. "The tax incentive that we offer for productions to come to our state is significantly lower than other states."
Cinema Slopes is a nonprofit group of film aficionados, many of them bringing an extensive background of experience in film, who are advocating for more funding for Utah's film industry.
Motion picture productions that meet several requirements, including spending a minimum of $500,000 in Utah, are eligible for a 20% to 25% tax rebate as part of Utah's film incentive program. However, the program has an annual $8.3 million cap — a...
US President Donald Trump made a series of “false” and “uncorroborated” claims about the Iran conflict and his foreign policy record during a recent press conference, according to a fact check by ...