SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — Whether driving through East Sacramento or taking a stroll through midtown, it’s hard not to spot a landmark from the iconic 2017 film “Lady Bird.”
And now the city of Sacramento hopes to expand on the film’s success by making the city a premier destination for film, television and commercial production.
“Sacramento isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago, five years ago or two years ago,” said Jennifer West, the manager for the Sacramento Film Office. “So for me, this is an opportunity to showcase what Sacramento can be.”
West is the first full-time staff member and previously worked on feature films in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C.
“The film office was in Visit Sacramento for the last 30 or so years. And so, when ‘Lady Bird’ filmed, obviously, and then when mayor put together the Creative Edge program they went out into the community and said, ‘What do you want to see in Sacramento as far as arts?'” West told FOX40.
She said the Film Office will help provide film permitting, location assistance, grant opportunities and ordinance information to those interested in filming in the city while helping local filmmakers and students.
“We are going to rely on the schools and hopefully work with them,” West said. “The incentive eventually, you know, maybe we can give films back a portion of … a percentage of earned wages or something if they hire a local crew person.”
“Lady Bird” went on to earn five Academy Award nominations and Sacramento-native Greta Gerwig referred to the film as a “love letter to her hometown.”
“Now, ‘Lady Bird’ did do a great job with that, obviously. But for the rest of the world that doesn’t know about Sacramento and what a great opportunity it is to come film here, we have great locations,” West said.
While West said she wants to highlight Sacramento’s diversity, she’s hoping the growing film industry will inevitably boost the local economy.
“For every dollar spent here, a portion of that is going to go right back to the city,” West said.
West said the first step is building a website showcasing resources currently available while establishing relationships with local, state and industry partners.
