FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heartland Film Commission Unveils 35% Refundable Credit to Lure Studio Productions Back to the Region
New “Rural Production Bonus” targets series and features that spend at least 60% of budget outside major metros; commission projects 1,200 local jobs and $95 million in direct spend within 18 months.
Kansas City, MO – November 19, 2025
The Heartland Film Commission (HFC) today announced the most aggressive production incentive package in its 22-year history, a move designed to reverse the decade-long migration of studio shoots to coastal hubs and overseas territories. Effective January 1, 2026, qualifying feature films, TV series and streaming movies can access a fully-refundable 35% tax credit on all in-state expenditures, with an additional 5% uplift for projects that shoot at least 75% of principal photography in rural counties.
The program launches as regional economies search for high-multiplier industries that deliver rapid job creation. According to data released last week by the Motion Picture Association, every dollar of state film incentive returns up to $6.90 in local economic activity when combined with robust crew bases and post-production infrastructure—metrics the HFC believes Missouri and Kansas can now satisfy.
“ Studios have told us they want competitive numbers, but they also want certainty,” said Laura Kimble, executive director of the HFC. “Our credit is uncapped, transferable and payable within 90 days of final audit—no lottery, no waiting list.” The commission has pre-allocated $60 million for the first tranche of applications, enough to cover an estimated 12 mid-budget features or four limited series, Kimble added.
Market signals suggest demand is already building. California tripled its annual incentive ceiling to $750 million in 2025 after shoot-days in Los Angeles fell to a 26-year low, while Georgia’s 30% credit—long the industry default—faces fresh scrutiny over social legislation that complicates location insurance. “We’re seeing a willingness to diversify supply chains,” said Noah Bell, senior analyst at ProdPro, the global production intelligence platform. “States that can offer 30%-plus rebates, crew depth and diverse looks within a two-hour drive are capturing the marginal project that might once have gone to Atlanta or Vancouver.”
The HFC package adds two industry-first provisions aimed at workforce retention: a 10% bonus on wages paid to crew who reside within the 18-county HFC zone for at least 11 months of the year, and a 5% post-production credit for visual-effects work completed at certified Heartland facilities. Combined, the incentives can push the effective rebate to 50%—matching the upper tier offered by New Mexico and the U.K.’s new Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit.
Local stakeholders moved quickly to align infrastructure with the announcement. B&B Theatres, the Missouri-based cinema circuit, confirmed it will repurpose a 240,000-sq-ft distribution warehouse in Lenexa, Kansas into a six-stage complex with 60-ft clear spans and 500-kW rooftop solar, targeting LEED Gold certification by Q4 2026. “We already self-fund smaller films for our screens,” said Brock Bagby, president and COO. “The new credit lets us scale to streaming budgets while keeping our core employees working year-round.”
Economic-development officials project the initiative will create 1,200 above-the-line and below-the-line jobs in the first 18 months, generating $95 million in qualified spending and $21 million in state and local tax receipts. A forthcoming study by the Mid-America Regional Council estimates that sustained production activity could add 4,500 permanent audiovisual jobs—enough to cut the region’s post-pandemic entertainment unemployment rate in half.
Applications open December 2, 2025, through the HFC’s upgraded online portal, which pledges a 21-day turnaround for initial qualification certificates. Projects must spend a minimum of $1 million within the bi-state region and meet diversity benchmarks that mirror the British Film Institute’s standards: at least 20% of department heads from under-represented groups or 25% of total crew hours performed by residents of zip codes with median incomes below the state average.
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“For too long the narrative has been ‘you have to shoot on the coasts,’” said Kimble. “The Heartland has the crews, the landscapes and now the financial package to rewrite that story. We’re open for business—quiet on set, roll camera.”
About the Heartland Film Commission
Created in 2003, the HFC is a bi-state agency funded by the Missouri and Kansas departments of economic development. It administers production incentives, location scouting and crew-aggregation services for film, television, commercials and emerging-media projects across a 27,000-sq-mile region that spans metropolitan Kansas City, the Flint Hills and the Lake of the Ozarks.
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