California Officials Want Films to Be More Diverse. Their Plan Would Help a Studio Developer in Banning
(variety.com)
A bill in the California Legislature to promote diversity in TV and film would also help a housing developer who wants to build a $200 million film studio in Banning.
The bill would add Banning — a small city 90 miles east of Los Angeles — to the so-called “30-mile zone,” which is the area where producers pay lower mileage rates and per diems. If adopted in the collective bargaining process, that change would provide studios and production companies with a financial incentive to use the proposed facility.
The bill would also create a new $200 million annual tax credit for “minority films” — independent productions that are minority-owned and employ a majority non-white cast and crew.
The developer behind the studio project, Ruben Islas, told Variety in an interview this week that his aim is to produce films with uplifting and inclusive messages. He said he wanted to see more positive depictions of Latinos, which would reflect his own experience growing up in a low-income neighborhood in San Diego.
By: Gene Maddaus
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