With a $1 million incentive, Cherokee Nation plans to become the center of the film and television industry | State and Region
Michael Tulsa World Master
Described as a historic investment in the film and television industries, the Cherokee Nation will begin offering up to $1 million a year in productions made in the tribe’s 14-county reserve in California. northeast Oklahoma, officials announced Tuesday morning.
Jennifer Loren, director of the Tribal Film Office, said the cash incentives will not only bring jobs to the area, benefiting both tribal and non-tribal citizens, but also resulted in better representation of Native American characters on screen.
“When we were represented, many times the portraits were inaccurate or based on harmful stereotypes,” says Loren. “And that’s a big part of why we’re here today,” announced the new offer.
Beginning March 1, the Cherokee National Film Office will accept applications for cash refunds for qualifying production costs for movies or TV projects shot anywhere in the region. reservation 7,000 square miles of the tribe. The incentives will also provide increased funding for the employment of Native American employees, as well as the use of Native-owned businesses, officials said.
“We plan to make the Cherokee Nation a hub for filmmaking,” Loren said. “What we see is an opportunity — an opportunity to diversify the Oklahoma economy.”
Cherokee offers will be available individually or in conjunction with similar state offers, with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office also providing cash reimbursements for qualifying production costs, officials official said.
