DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — The annual Door County Film Festival starts Thursday, and this year filmmakers are buzzing about an exciting new incentive.
Now in its 17th year, the festival continues to celebrate achievements in film making, while a new Wisconsin state tax incentive has creators discussing what’s next for homegrown films.
What began as a simple movie night at a friend’s coffee shop has grown into a three-day event, drawing more than 500 attendees each year.
Director Chris Opper calls the Door County Film Festival a true community event, highlighting its growth and importance to local filmmakers and audiences.
The festival is a three day event, taking place on February 12 through 14 at Northern Sky theater in Fish Creek.
"Middle of July, I'll be like grocery shopping at [Piggly Wiggly], and somebody will come up to me and ask, 'What kind of movies you got for this year'," Chris Opper said.
A new state incentive program launching this spring offers up to 30% back on in-state production costs, with a maximum of $250,000 per project.
"What that does is for all the filmmakers that are doing work in Wisconsin, they can get a part of that," Opper said.
One of this year’s featured filmmakers is Appleton-based Dave Jackson, who teamed up with Marty Sosnowski to create a documentary chronicling Marty’s journey through addiction and recovery.
Jackson says he didn’t know about the new state incentive when making the film, but added that they managed the project without needing a big budget.
"We self-funded everything for this, self-promo for everything. We didn't need a huge budget for this," Dave Jackson said.
For larger productions, state incentives can have a significant impact. Filmmaker and actor Kurt Krauss traveled to Madison to advocate for the program.
"If you're saving money, for example, on hotel rooms, catering, gear rental, crew hires, that percentage then stays within the state."
With the new incentive this year, Krauss hopes more local films will join the festival’s tradition.
