Five more television and film projects are approved to receive North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant funds, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Altogether, these new projects are expected to produce direct in-state spending of more than $61 million while creating more than 2,400 job opportunities in the state.
“We are excited to have more cameras rolling across our state,” said Governor Cooper. “Having North Carolina communities as the backdrop for independent and studio-supported projects is a positive multiplier for our talented workforce, our small businesses, and our economy.”
The first awardee, “Untitled Please Don’t Destroy”, is a Universal Pictures feature-length film from the comedic trio Please Don’t Destroy. The production is approved for a film and entertainment rebate grant of up to $7 million, the maximum for a feature-length film, with production being completed in Burke, Gaston, and Mecklenburg counties.
The “Welcome to Flatch” TV series returns to southeastern North Carolina for its second season, continuing its storyline about a small town, particularly its younger population, that is being filmed for a documentary. Production is also already underway in Duplin, New Hanover, and Pender counties, with filming continuing through October. This Fox series from Lionsgate Television has been approved for a rebate grant award of $6.5 million.
Feature-length film “Site” is approved for a film rebate of $937,500. The project is shooting in the greater Charlotte area and tells the story of man who, after experiencing a time distortion in an abandoned military test site, begins to suffer traumatic visions of other lives that somehow hold the thread to his own unravelling present.
“Eric Larue” is an independent feature-length film, with production taking place in the greater Wilmington area, that tells the story of a mother’s struggle to cope after her son commits an act of mass violence. The production hails from Big Indie Pictures and has been approved for a grant of up to $589,105.
The final grant recipient is a made-for-TV/streaming movie “Second Time Around”, featuring a pastor whose chance encounter may turn out to be a true gift from heaven, has been approved for an award of up to $156,250. The project recently completed filming in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties and will air on the streaming service PureFlix.
These latest projects bring film-related production spending in North Carolina to more than $241 million while creating more than 13,000 job opportunities in 2022.
“We are excited to have more and more productions creating economic development opportunities in our state,” said North Carolina Film Office Director Guy Gaster. “From feature-length films to television and streaming series, to commercials and travel shows, our state is once again proving to be a top choice for production.”
The North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant provides financial assistance to attract feature film and television productions that will stimulate economic activity and create jobs in the state. Production companies receive no money up front and must meet direct in-state spending requirements to qualify for grant funds, which are paid out following the completion of the project and a successful audit. The program is administered by the N.C. Department of Commerce and promoted by the North Carolina Film Office, part of VisitNC and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.