Tucson filmmaker predicts AZ film industry “resurgence” with new tax credits

Mark Headley grew up in Tucson and has been working in the film industry for decades, dating back to Westerns at Old Tucson.He says nothing compares to the Academy Awards, which he says re-energizes him every year.This year he got to attend the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood.“Very exciting, because it’s the biggest party in the world,” he told KGUN.Headley knows Hollywood and the Old Pueblo have always been intertwined.“As a matter of fact, Sidney Poitier got a first Academy Award as a black male actor for Lilies of the Field,” he recalled. “And that was shot in Tucson.”This year, Best Picture nominee The Fabelmans tells the story of director Steven Spielberg’s childhood in Phoenix.The movie shot scenes in Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park, according to Film Tucson.That could just be the beginning.“With this new tax incentive, I think we’re gonna have a resurgence of the film industry coming to Arizona,” Headley said.Applications for those tax credits open later this month, on March 23.By 2025, it could grant tax breaks up to 125 million dollars for productions based in Arizona.“A lot of people, especially people I’m dealing with here in Hollywood, are really interested in knowing more about it,” said Headley. “It’s gonna be a big boost, economically.“It’s a hundreds-of-billions-dollar industry. And finally Arizona is acknowledging that we want a piece of that action.”Action that Headley hopes will pick up, and once again lead Arizona to a starring role in the movie business.