3 movies made in Ohio to show at Sundance Film Festival

Participating films shot in Ohio include “Goat,” about a 19-year-old boy who pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to prove his manhood; “The Land,” a story of four teenage boys who devote their summer to escaping the streets of Cleveland by pursuing a dream life of professional skateboarding; and “The Fits,” about a tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End plagued by a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells, according to Sundance.

It means “lots of good recognition” for Ohio films, said Karri O’Reilly, an independent producer and board member of FilmDayton who worked on the “Goat” project. She added that the Ohio films beat out thousands of submissions to be part of the festival. The three films mentioned above are at least the ones she knows of that were in Ohio.

This news outlet recently found filmmakers now wanting to do a movie in Ohio and claim tax incentives for production costs will have to go on a waiting list.

Ohio has already committed all $20 million available for tax credits this budget year, which began July 1, to movie, television, commercial and other crews that have sought incentives to film in the state, according to Ohio Development Services Agency, the state department that runs the tax program.

Because companies apply for tax credits before filming starts, it’s common for projects to be canceled even after getting state financial approval, thus freeing up a new spot in the queue for the next filmmaker to claim their share of savings, said Lyn Tolan, spokeswoman for the development department.

The funding problem is a good problem to have, demonstrating Ohio has attracted film makers, but it’s bad timing, O’Reilly says. With the pending release of “Carol” and other movies made in Ohio due for national and international stages, the state is generating a buzz to attract more movie makers, she said.

Since 2009, Ohio has awarded more than $54 million worth of tax credits and cash to about 61 production companies that have completed projects, according to the state development department.