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Minnesota Gov Shuns Film http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/#1 Saying that their film would portray the Iron Range area of Minnesota in a bad light, state officials have decided not to allow producers of the upcoming Warner Bros. movie Class Action to receive a 10-percent tax rebate, which had been offered by the Minnesota Film Board. The film, which stars Oscar-winner Charlize Theron (Monster), describes a successful class action lawsuit brought against a mining company by 15 women who claimed that they were victims of sexual harassment. Although the Iron Range Resources Board (IRRB) voted 8-4 to support the film with the tax rebate, noting that it could pump millions of dollars into the local economy, the chairman of the board, Sandy Layman, voted in opposition. Another opponent, Joe Begich, remarked: "Why do we want to support a movie that will be a black eye for the area? ... That makes no sense to me." But last week, the Duluth News Tribune observed in an editorial that the only people who would be embarrassed by the film "are the minority whose attitudes toward women in the workplace spawned it." Nevertheless, on Wednesday a spokesman for Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that the governor supports the IRRB chairman's position and will veto the tax break. Warner Bros. has indicated that without it, the film may be shot in New Mexico.
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