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Years ago, Shreveport earned the nickname "Hollywood South."  This impressive moniker was bestowed upon us due to the incredible amount of high-dollar, big budget films being made in Ratchet City and the surrounding areas earlier this century.  Unfortunately, a few years back that all changed - but a new bill might bring back our silver-screened glory days!

The key to getting major motion picture productions back in Shreveport (and Louisiana for that matter) is money.  More specifically, a tax credit for productions investing $300,000 or more that would save the studios lots of money when compared to what it would cost in Hollywood.  We've seen several projects finding their way back into our state as of late, including "I Saw the Light: The Story of Hank Williams", "Premonition", and the remake of "Straw Dogs" - which are all being made in Shreveport!

When that tax credit went away, the productions dried up.  Now that it's back, Louisiana lawmakers are working to make sure it stays.  According to the ArkLaTex Homepage, Senator Sharon Hewitt is championing a bill that would extend the 25% tax credit for movie studios that meet the aforementioned criteria at least until the year 2028!

Currently, House bill 173 is making it's way through the legislative process on the House of Representatives floor.  If it passes, it's not just the thrill of seeing movie stars hanging out in our town again - it would provide billions of dollars and tons of jobs for our state.

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