Filmmaker Says Gov. Perry Broke His Word
Filmmaker Says Gov. Perry Broke His Word
AUSTIN (CN) - Texas reneged on its promise of film incentives for Robert Rodriguez's film "Machete" due to pressure from anti-immigration activists, the producer claims in court.
Machete's Chop Shop Inc. sued the Texas Film Commission and its director Heather Page in Travis County Court.
They claim their application for a grant under the Texas Moving Image Industry Program was approved in May 29, 2009, and that former Film Commission director Bob Hudgins verified that the script complied with requirements that it not include inappropriate content or depict Texans "in a negative fashion."
"The approval of the qualifying application induced producers of 'Machete' to spend millions of dollars in wages and other production-related expenses in the state of Texas, which they did in reliance on the approval," the complaint states.
"Were it not for the approval, 'Machete' would have been produced elsewhere."
Gov. Rick Perry signed the Texas Moving Image Industry Program into law in April 2009 at Rodriguez's Trouble Maker Studios in Austin. Rodriguez announced there and then that the law would allow him to shoot films in Texas, including "Machete." Approximately $8 million was spent on the film in Texas, according to the complaint.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/07/15/59349.htm
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