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Filed under: Film | Tags: Film, film incentive, grassroots, mayor mcginn, siff
Seattle has a long and diverse history of grassroots campaigns, and the feature Grassroots, shot right here in town, tells the story of one such campaign. Directed by Stephen Gyllenhall, the film is based on the book Zioncheck for President, a true account of the quirky 2001 Seattle City Council race between Grant Cogswell and Richard McIver. Grassroots played recently at the SIFF closing night gala, but if you didn’t catch it then, you’ll have a chance to see it at the Harvard Exit when it opens on Friday, June 22 – a day Mayor McGinn has proclaimed “Grassroots Day” in Seattle. Stephen Gyllenhall is planning to attend all showings from Friday to Sunday. The production of Grassroots was made possible by the Washington State Film Incentives program.
Filed under: Film | Tags: Amy Lillard, film incentive, Frank Chopp, Governor Gregoire, seattle film, washington filmworks, Washington State Motion Picture Competitiveness Program
WASHINGTON FILMWORKS 
The Washington State Film Incentive Bill has passed! The 92-6 vote is all due to the amazing community and industry turnout in support of this jobs building program. Special recognition to Amy Lillard and everyone at Washington Filmworks for their tireless work since last June, and to Frank Chopp for making sure the bill got to the House floor for a vote. Governor Gregoire has 20 days to sign the bill in to law.
Filed under: Film, Music | Tags: Duff McKagen, film incentive, Motion Picture Competitiveness Program, seattle weekly
Seattle Weekly 
Former Guns N’ Roses bassist, Duff McKagan, offers some personal words of wisdom as a Seattle-to-L.A. transplant. The musician has made Los Angeles a part-time home, and although he raves of his parent soil, he presents a few things for Seattle to take note of from the City of Angels. Aside from advising Seattleites to “wear sunglasses more often,” McKagan expresses his strong support for a Washington state film incentive. By living in L.A., McKagan has seen first-hand the positive impact of a thriving film community, and he believes it would be a huge economic mistake to jettison the program up north. To express your support for the incentive, visit Washington Filmworks blog.
Filed under: Film | Tags: film incentive, Motion Picture Competetiveness Program, olympia, SSB 5539, washington filmworks
Washington Filmworks
From Amy Lillard:
Late last night the legislation to renew the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program was voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee after being amended. Representative Ross Hunter introduced an amendment to to reduce the size of the fund to $1.75M per year (from the proposed $3.5M annually). The bill is scheduled for a a full vote on the House floor today.
We urge you to CALL AND EMAIL your Representatives to ask them to restore the fund to $3.5M per year and to vote in favor of SSB 5539. Please remind your Representatives that the budget that was released this morning and agreed upon by both the Senate and House budget negotiators has the program included at $3.5M per year.
To find your Representative visit the following link:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/default.aspx
The Special Session is scheduled to end tomorrow, so it is critical that your Representatives hear from you today!
Filed under: Film | Tags: bill, film incentive, House of Representatives, olympia, Ross Hunter, SSB 5539, washington filmworks
Washington Filmworks
From Amy Lillard:
We are pleased to announce that the House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing today at 5:00pm for SSB 5539, the legislation to renew the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program. This is a critical day for the legislation as it must be voted out of committee before it can be considered for a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. There are two important ways that you can support the lobbying effort.
Attend The Hearing
If you are available, please consider joining us in Olympia at today’s hearing. Given the busy Committee schedule, it’s unlikely that you will be able to testify at the hearing, but you can sign-in to support the legislation. To have a group of film industry professionals signing in on behalf of the legislation will speak volumes to committee members. The hearing will take place at 5:00 pm today in Senate Hearing Room 4 located in the Cherberg Building. For driving directions to Olympia and a Capital Campus please visit the following link:
Driving Directions & Campus Map
If you do plan to attend the hearing, let us know by sending an email to Info@WashingtonFilmworks.org.
Write Your Representative
If you are unable to attend the hearing today, we urge you to write your Representatives TODAY. In writing your Representatives, make sure that they are aware that SSB 5539 is scheduled today for a Hearing and Executive Action in the House Ways & Means Committee. Ask them to support the renewal of the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program.
To find your representative, please follow the link below.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/default.aspx
If you receive a response from your House members, please let us know by forwarding it to Info@WashingtonFilmworks.org. With the Special Session scheduled to end on Wednesday, it is critical that you write TODAY.
