Palm Springs aims to draw more filmmakers to the city
Palm Springs recently started an incentive programand website aimed at drawing more filmmakers to the city, a spokeswoman saidtoday.
The program includes waiver of film permit fees and $5,000 grants — incash or in-kind services — for production expenses that total at least$25,000, city spokeswoman Amy Blaisdell said.
The website, www.psfilmfriendly.com, a collaboration between P.S.Resorts and the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, is aimed at filmmakers andproducers looking for locations for movies, television shows, commercials andadvertising photo shoots. The site has an image library, a film permitapplication and a directory of “film-friendly” spots in Palm Springs,Blaisdell said.
“We created this online resource to showcase our diverse locations andthe benefits of filming in Palm Springs,” said Mary Jo Ginther, director ofthe Bureau of Tourism. “Palm Springs has always been film friendly and we arenow taking it to the next level.”
Blaisdell said that the Palm Springs City Council presented the first$5,000 grant to Barry Barnholtz, the producer of the film “Hidden Away,” atthe March 6 council meeting. The film will premiere at the Annenberg Theater inJune.
Actors Michael Douglas and Matt Damon were in Palm Springs recentlyshooting scenes for the new HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra,” about the lifeof former Palm Springs resident Liberace. In addition, the ninth season of”Occupation Double,” a popular reality television series in Montreal, Canada,was also filmed in Palm Springs.
