ARIZONA FILM INSIDER - MAY 2025
- mlopez949
- May 19
- 4 min read
FEDERAL PRODUCTION UPDATE
On May 4, President Trump announced a proposed 100% tariff on foreign-made movies, citing concerns over the decline of the American film industry due to overseas incentives.
While details remain unclear, the announcement has sparked a rare moment of unity in the industry—global competition affects everyone, including Arizona. Several organizations have since signed a joint letter to the President voicing their support for stronger domestic policies.
Actor Jon Voight, recently named a "Special Ambassador" to Hollywood alongside Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, submitted a proposal recommending a federal transferable tax credit—10% in states with existing incentives and 20% in those without. This could boost Arizona's incentive rate to 25–35%, making it more competitive globally.
Though Arizona competes with other states, we are also competing abroad—with countries like Canada, the UK, and Thailand. A federal incentive could help level the playing field and possibly lead to broader support, such as a national film office or expanded grant programs.
We’ll continue to monitor and share any major updates.
INSIDE THE AZ LEGISLATURE
Legislative Update:
The state legislature is officially at the “hurry up and wait” portion of the legislative session. Both chambers adjourned for an extended recess, with the House returning May 20th and the Senate not back until May 28th. The pause allows leadership more time to negotiate critical issues, including the budget and Prop 123 renewal, before the end-of-session crunch.
With Prop 123 (the voter-approved education funding mechanism) set to expire in June 2025, negotiations are underway to prevent a fiscal cliff. If not renewed, the State Land Trust’s distribution to schools would drop from 6.9% to 2.5%, creating a $300M annual shortfall for the state’s General Fund to cover.
A well-funded public education system isn’t just about classrooms, it’s an economic magnet for industries like ours. When production companies consider relocating to Arizona, they don’t just look at tax incentives; they evaluate whether the state can attract and retain top talent. Strong schools make for a stronger workforce pipeline. Parents (including crew members, creatives, and executives) want to know their children will thrive in local schools. Initiatives like the Prop 123 renewal ensure Arizona can compete nationally as a destination where families and filmmakers want to put down roots.
Major Shakeup at State Agencies
Two key health leaders resigned this week amid opposition from the Senate’s Director Nominations Committee (DINO):
AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia (oversaw Medicaid for 2+ years without confirmation)
DHS Director Jennie Cunico (steered the department post-pandemic)
Their departures highlight ongoing tensions between the Governor’s office and Senate Republicans over agency appointments.
In a rare unanimous vote, the DINO Committee (5-0) recommended Robyn Sahid, a seasoned economic developer with 20+ years in public service, as Arizona’s next State Land Commissioner. The full Senate will now vote on her confirmation.
INSIDE FILM TUCSON
Choir Practice, an indie feature film written and directed by Tucson resident Sally Shamrell, just wrapped after two weeks of filming, with extensive shooting taking place throughout many regions of southern AZ including St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, King's Anvil Ranch, Rivera Motor Lodge, the town of Nogales, AZ, and well as a few scenes along the US/Mexico border. Over 100 room nights were logged, as well as a local hire of over 50 crew members and over 20 local actors.
As we've done almost 20 times before, Film Tucson once again flew in a location professional from Los Angeles to see the mind-blowing amount of filming sights which southern AZ has to offer. This time around, our guest was Brittany Petros who has worked on such TV shows as Insecure (HBO), Dexter (Showtime), Bones (Fox), and Modern Family (ABC), as well as feature films such as Suicide Squad, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Fabelmans (which filmed partially in Tucson). These site visits are the best way to bring Tucson directly to the eyes of Hollywood's location professionals, so we're always thrilled when they first set their peepers on our unique roster of ready-to-shoot locales, including Biosphere 2, Titan Missile Museum, Babacomari Ranch, Old Tucson, Mescal, and Hotel Congress, among others.
INSIDE PHOENIX FILM OFFICE
Breaking News
Governor Katie Hobbs signed SB 1182 establishing new summer construction work hours throughout Arizona. The Film Office uses the construction hours as the starting time for conducting business in a residential neighborhood which has always been 6am during the summer. With the new emergency measure, the start time is now 5am and is effective immediately between May 1st and October 15th.
In Other News
One could argue that the Greater Phoenix film cycle breaks down into three distinct seasons:
September to December: End-of-Year Rush (“If we don’t spend this now, they’ll slash our marketing budget next year!”)
January to April: Spring and Summer Campaigns (“Where can we find green grass and blue skies in winter? Not Buffalo…”)
May to August: Local Commercials and Indie Films (“Let’s shoot the L.L. Bean winter catalog in 115-degree heat—hotel rates are great!”)
That said, the January–April period in 2025 has been softer than in previous years. In both 2023 and 2024, we averaged 87 applications during these months. In 2025, however, we received just 53. While it’s still early to draw conclusions, two key factors likely contributed to the dip:
We launched a new permitting process that includes a $50 application fee. This change was intended to reduce non-serious inquiries—and it has—resulting in a higher application-to-permit conversion rate.
Activity seems to slow during presidential election years as businesses adjust to a new administration’s economic policies.
Despite the slowdown, Phoenix supported several notable productions in April, including (but not limited to): Global Credit Union, HonorHealth, Discount Tire, Lululemon, CASA of Arizona, and the untitled Preston Lord documentary.
May is shaping up to be a strong month as well...
INSIDE THE AZ COMMERCE AUTHORITY
From the Director’s Chair
Arizona Film & Digital Media is pleased to participate in the Arizona Department of Education's Standards Review process for its statewide high school Career & Technical Education (CTE) Film & TV curriculum.
Filmed in Arizona (Projects highlighted in April)
New Media: (Sun Country Airlines) Get to Going
Student (Short): The Glass Planet
INSIDE INDUSTRY TIDBITS
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