The Great Film Debate in NM

Capitol Report New Mexico - The Great New Mexico Film Debate proved to be box office boffo Tuesday (Jan. 11) as more than 300 people squeezed into the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque while another 96 sat and watched the debate in an overflow room and more than 100 others were turned away due to lack of space. The debate centered on the state’s film subsidy which lures Hollywood moviemakers to New Mexico by providing a 25 percent tax subsidy to producers. Two state lawmakers — Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R-Sandia Park) and Rep. Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) argued the film program has brought in more than a billion dollars in qualfied spending and has been – in the words of Beffort — “the gold standard” among state film programs across the country. Two other lawmakers — Rep. Dennis Kintigh (R-Roswell) and Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones – argued the subsidy costs taxpayers $65 million last year and should be capped or eliminated. Read full story here:

The Great Film Debate in NM