Memphis + film = Excellent!

I've been saying that moviemakers in Memphis and the Mid-South had a great 2006 and that we'll have a terrific 2007. Now MovieMaker magazine puts us as No. 7 in the top 10 movie cities in the country for 2007.

Told you so.

Here are excerpts from Mike Lollar's story in the CA:

The magazine's winter issue, which will be released today at the Sundance Film Festival, is Memphis' third appearance in the periodical, which has a circulation of 54,000 readers, primarily independent filmmakers.

Memphis received an honorable mention in 2005 and was ranked 10th last year.

"I think we can all be proud from the mayors to the film commission to the community that we're ranked so high on such a prestigious list," said Memphis and Shelby County film commissioner Linn Sitler.

She attributed part of the ranking to film incentive legislation passed last year. ...

In the MovieMaker article, [Craig Brewer] says, "I love the city, but it's the character of the people that truly inspires me."

Of the commission, he says, "You will never find a more dedicated film commission in the country. I try to find projects that must be shot in Memphis just so I can work with Linn Sitler."

Sitler helped lobby the legislature for the incentive program, which set aside $10 million to help fund projects and also provide bonuses to film companies that spend at least $1 million in Tennessee.

Sitler said the incentives are less than those offered by the Shreveport-Bossier City, La., area, which ranked No. 6 on this year's list and has quickly become one of the busiest filming locations in the country.

The list:

1 - New York
2 - Philadelphia
3 - Austin, Texas
4 - Albuquerque, N.M.
5 - Las Vegas
6 - Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
7 - Memphis
8 - Miami
9 - Portland, Ore.
10 - Salt Lake City, Utah