Senator wants incentive-eligible films reviewed

RALEIGH -- Tax incentives help make our state an attractive location for filmmakers. But proposed legislation in Raleigh might change that. State Sen. Phil Berger is proposing a bill that requires each studio expecting tax incentives to have mandatory pre- and post-production reviews to see if they have artistic merit. Also, the film cannot be rated NC-17. Sen. Julia Boseman, who sponsored the current law, says this proposed bill will make the area less attractive to movie makers and could cut the film incentives altogether. Sen. Boseman said, "I don't like every film produced, probably a lot of them don't have artistic merit but that doesn't mean they will take away good paying jobs for folks here in North Carolina." Sen. Berger denies that his proposed bill will take away jobs in North Carolina. He says the legislation is intended to protect taxpayers, who fund the movie maker tax breaks.