FILMMAKERS GIVE COASTAL GEORGIA HIGH MARKS
FOR FUTURE FILM PRODUCTION
ST. MARYS, GA—During a bi-state visit by filmmakers from as far away as California, Coastal Georgia Film Society board members showcased the area’s many noteworthy location possibilities f
or TV and movies, and filmmakers were impressed.
L-R: Florida State Film Commissioner Lucia Fishburne, St. Marys Mayor Bill Deloughy, County Commissioner David Rainer, Film Society Co-Founder Barbara Ryan, and Academy Award nominee Andy Abrahams Wilson during the recent filmmakers tour hosted by the Coastal Georgia Film Society.
Florida State Film Commissioner Lucia Fishburne joined the morning St. Marys tour of visiting film executives who were attending
the Amelia Island
Film Festival. Fishburne expressed appreciation for the local group’s efforts to promote South Georgia and North Florida as a dual destination for filmmakers seeking diversity of landscape as well as attractive economic incentives.
“Our industry is all about relationships,” Fishburne said. “I’d really like to see a long-term relationship between the two cities,” (speaking of St. Marys and Fernandina Beach). Fishburne went on to say that she was not aware of any other two states that are cooperating in this way.
The Coastal Georgia Film Society, along with area dignitaries, welcomed two sailings of the Cumberland Island Ferry on Friday. Guests were given a tour of the area’s film worthy locations and served up a generous helping of southern hospitality at several businesses throughout St. Marys’ Historic District. They were then shown the new Film Society office and mini film museum and viewed the recently unveiled Coastal Georgia Film Society website—www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org, which will serve as a resource for filmmakers.
Several filmmakers, including an Emmy Award winner and an Academy Award nominee, expressed interest in the possibility of upcoming productions being filmed in and around St. Marys. Film Society Co-founder Barbara Ryan said the day could not have been more perfect.
“We accomplished our mission and that was to expose filmmakers to the values of filming in our area,” Ryan said. “Not only because of our diverse locations, but also because of the generous economic incentives that Georgia offers.”
Georgia has been referenced by national industry publications as one of the nation’s most attractive states when it comes to film incentives.
“Coastal Georgia has not, in the past, been a mecca for filmmaking,” Ryan said. “But that’s because we’ve never told anybody about what we have to offer.”
Ryan and fellow Film Society board members are on a fast track to make up for lost time and capitalize on film industry opportunities that have added up to more than $900 million annually in years past.
“Just a sliver of that investment could make a difference in our economy,” Ryan said. “And the residual benefit of increased tourism that follows a popular film is priceless.”
For more information about the Coastal Georgia Film Society, visit www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org, or call 912-729-1103.
