San Francisco Seeks To Lure Film Crews To City
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The city of San Francisco can't offer the tax breaks that other cities can to lure in film productions, but it hopes to tempt them instead with some freebies and discounts.
The city's Film Commission has launched a new program to drum up film business with promises of free bottles of wine, free admission to local attractions and hotel discounts.
Officials said the benefits may be relatively small but can make a difference.
The city already has tried streamlining its permitting system and offering fee rebates to those who chose San Francisco over other popular film locations, such as Vancouver, Canada and the state of New Mexico.
The film commission said the crew for the upcoming Steven Soderbergh film, "Contagion," will be the first to use the discount program. They ordered 100 discount cards last week.
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