From Isle of Hope and Daffin Park to River Street, film and television sets were a familiar sight around Savannah and Chatham County in 2019.
According to the recently released Savannah Regional Film Commission annual report, 129 professional projects, including eight feature films, 18 television projects, 12 commercials, filmed across the area generating a record breaking $125.6 million in direct spend and $266.3 million in economic impact for the region.
“I think (2019) was great,” said Savannah Economic Development Authority President CEO Trip Tollison.
“If you look at where we started or at least where we were when the film office became a part of SEDA and where we are today, it’s been a great steady growth projection.”
Compared to 2018, the total number of professional projects declined by 28, but direct spend increased by $5.5 million and economic impact increased by $11.7 million, Beth Nelson, executive director of the Savannah Regional Film Commission said, although the number of projects may have declined the quality has increased in recent years.
“The caliber of the projects we gotten have really gone up,” Nelson said citing several projects that have recently received recognition including “Ford v Ferrari,” which was recently nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture; “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” took home several awards in 2019 including a South by Southwest Audience Award, and Patricia Arquette recently won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her role in “The Act.” See more at SMN.
