Oscar Time: What the Movie Industry Means to Memphis

Q&A with Film Commissioner. List of Oscar-Nominated Memphis-Area Movies.

With the 82nd Academy Awards ceremony airing Sunday night, we thought a Q&A with Linn Sitler would set the tone. Sitler, film commissioner for the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, is charged with, among other duties, growing and promoting the Bluff City’s movie and TV production industry. With the help of Deputy Film Commissioner Sharon Fox O’Guin, Sitler supplied the following answers to MBQ via email.

Q: Please list those “Memphis movies” that have been nominated or have won an Oscar? (By Memphis movie, we mean one that’s been produced in the Memphis area or one with a Memphis connection.)

A: Sitler provided the following list of movies honored at the Academy Awards (we provided the dates):
Hallelujah, 1929/30: 1 nomination
The Firm, 1993: 2 nominations
The Client, 1994: 1 nomination
The People vs. Larry Flynt, 1996: 2 nominations
Cast Away, 2000: 2 nominations
Walk The Line, 2000: 5 nominations and 1 win
21 Grams, 2003: 2 nominations
Hustle & Flow, 2005: 2 nominations and 1 win
In The Valley of Elah, 2007: 1 nomination


Q: What incentives can movie or TV production companies receive if they work in Memphis?

A: If a production leaves $500,000 in Tennessee in "qualified" spend (for out-of-state-based companies) or $150,000 (for in-state-based companies), the production is eligible for both state and local incentives. The state will refund up to 32 percent of the "qualfied" spend ("qualified" meaning that not all expenses are eligible to be counted). Additionally, in Memphis and Shelby County, productions that have been "pre-qualified" by the state for state filming incentives are eligible to apply for up to a 50 percent refund of wages paid to Memphis/Shelby County citizens who were trained on-the-job.
 

Q: What does movie and TV production mean, in dollars, to the Memphis area?

A: Anywhere from $1 million to $2 million per year to $10 million per year in direct spend…. Over the years, [Sitler continues, production work has generated] hundreds of crew jobs and cast roles, millions in hotel spend, and it’s been priceless to the tourism industry.

 
Q: How does Memphis compare to where it was 20 years ago in terms of its TV and movie production industry?

A: Twenty years ago, 1990, we were “flush” with big studio features, independent films, TV movies, and national commercials…. Memphis had just hosted the most expensive TV series at the time, ABC’s “Elvis: Good Rockin’ Tonight.” The state-against-state competition over filming incentives had not yet begun and Canada had not yet entered the production scene full force.

 
Q: What’s the next big movie or TV special from Memphis to be released?

A: To my knowledge, [two feature films], A Fine Step (formerly known as Fandago) or N-Secure.


Q: What’s the next big news on the horizon for the Film and Television Commission?

A: Can’t tell. Confidential still!

For more info: The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission