Alabama’s largest city wants to play host to more movies, and a new film office is trying to lure movie productions to the area.
Al.com reports Film Birmingham is now officially open for business after operating behind the scenes for more than a year. The office is an initiative started by Create Birmingham, who are also planning to launch a website targeting the film industry.
Film Birmingham officials say that instead of focusing on big-budget movies like the city of Atlanta does, they will be more focused on recruiting small- to mid-sized productions to the Magic City.
Film Birmingham is currently seeking $100,000 from the city of Birmingham to help support the initiative. A line item for the film office is included in the city’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell's office has been outspoken in its support of the initiative. Actor Wesley Snipes visited Birmingham City Hall last year as part of that effort. About Film Birmingham, Mayor Bell says, "We see this as an opportunity to attract more films to the city and continue to push Birmingham to the world stage while tapping into this industry."
Right now, the Birmingham office is operating based on referrals from the Alabama Film Office. After receiving a referral, Film Birmingham puts together a photography package of sites in the Birmingham area that could meet filmmakers' needs. The film office then scouts sites alongside filmmakers and serves as a liaison between the filmmakers and the communities or municipal governments,
