CINCINNATI — Two cities in Ohio are on this year’s list of top places to live and work in North America for filmmakers, with Cincinnati earning the top place in the state once again.
What You Need To Know
- Cincinnati and Cleveland earned top-15 spots on this year's best cities in North America to live and work in film
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the top city on the list for the fourth year in a row
- Recent movies made in Ohio include upcoming Timothée Chalamet film “Bones and All" and Cleveland-shot feature “White Noise” by Oscar-nominated director Noah Baumbach
- MovieMaker magazine credits the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit with making Cincinnati, Cleveland, other Ohio cities attractive to filmmakers
The annual rankings were released Tuesday by MovieMaker magazine, a publication dedicated to the art and craft of making movies.
Cincinnati came in at No. 11 for 2022, up two spots from last year. The ranking puts the Queen City ahead of places such as San Francisco, San Diego, Miami and Washington, D.C. Cleveland is 12th.
Albuquerque, New Mexico is the best place for movie-making this year, according to the list. That may come as a surprise to some, but the southwestern city has been the magazine’s top-ranked city each of the past four years.
In order, the rest of this year’s top five are Toronto, Atlanta, Montreal and Boston. Toronto jumped 10 spots from 2021.
“We are proud to return to the MovieMaker best places to live and work as a moviemaker,” said Kristen Schlotman, executive director of Film Cincinnati. “The recognition is a testament to the talented cast and crew who live and work here, and who keep the film industry so strong in Greater Cincinnati.”
Film Cincinnati is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky as a destination for film, commercial and television productions. Those types of projects contributed nearly $80 million in economic impact in 2017 and 2018, the last years that figures are available, according to Film Cincinnati.
Cinematographer Juanmi Azpiroz, who shot Hulu’s Frank Grillo action movie “Boss Level,” relocated from New York to live in the area.
“I found a team in Cincinnati — talented, good people. I work with them not because it’s easy, but because they’re really, really good,” he told Film Cincinnati. “People across the industry acknowledge the talent of these people. They’re also amazing people. You don’t find that everywhere, especially in this business. I couldn’t ask for more out of this community.”
MovieMaker editor-in-chief Tim Molloy said Cincinnati is “having a huge moment,” drawing productions, like Oscar-winner John Ridley’s Shirley Chisholm biopic, and the upcoming Timothée Chalamet film “Bones and All.”
Cleveland isn’t following too far, Molloy added. Oscar-nominated director Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”) filmed his latest feature “White Noise” in northeast Ohio in 2021, using not only downtown, but the surrounding suburbs to bring Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel to life. Nick Jonas came to town to play the role of the Four Seasons’ Frankie Vall in a “Jersey Boys” adaptation.
The Greater Cleveland Film Commission told MovieMaker that roughly $140 million was spent on film productions in the area last year, and an additional $25 million was spent on television productions.
Molloy said he’d expect those numbers to increase if Shaker Heights-based filmmaker Marquette Williams' vision for Cinema City comes true. The project calls for a 150,000-square-foot studio and four sound stages on a large campus on Cleveland’s east side.
MovieMaker compiles its annual list based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research and personal visits, whenever possible, per the magazine.
Molloy added that both Cincinnati and Cleveland continue to move up in the rankings partly due to Ohio’s $40 million commitment to a 30% rebate on projects that spend at least $300,000 through the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit. Those funds can go to cast and crew wages and are other eligible in-state costs.
Feature films, documentaries, commercials and even video games are potentially eligible for the refundable tax credit. It was created in 2009 to encourage and develop a strong film industry in the state. The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Development, which hosts a website with various resources for those in the film business.
The entire Top 25 list:
- Albuquerque (repeating at No. 1 for the fourth year)
- Toronto (up 10 spots from last year, joining the Top 10 and Top 5)
- Atlanta
- Montreal (up three spots from last year, joining the Top 5)
- Boston (up four spots from last year, joining the Top 5)
- Vancouver
- Chicago
- Austin
- Philadelphia
- Calgary
- Cincinnati (up two spots from last year)
- Cleveland (up two spots from last year)
- Oklahoma City (up two spots from last year)
- Baltimore (up four spots from last year)
- Dallas
- San Francisco (rejoins the list after being absent last year)
- San Diego
- Miami
- Kansas City
- Memphis
- Portland
- San Antonio
- Washington, D.C.
- St. Petersburg (up one spot from last year)
- Fort Worth (joining the list for the first time)
Read more about the selections in this week’s edition of MovieMaker.