Written by new-contact on Jan 16, 2015. Posted in On Location

Civil rights drama Selma spends $10m filming on location in Georgia

Civil rights feature Selma helped boost Georgia’s production industry by spending more than USD 10 million over 95 days in the state. Ava DuVernay’s film tells the true story of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Dr Martin Luther King.

The Selma production team paid more than USD 5 million in wages to over 400 Georgia crew and spent USD 375,000 on more than 3,000 hotel nights, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

Additional expenditures included nearly half a million dollars on in-state wardrobe purchases and laundry, and USD 200,000 on catering.

“Selma tells an incredibly powerful story about a turning point in our nation’s history, and the process of bringing that important story to life has meant an economic boost for Georgia,” said Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the MPAA.

“The state’s competitive film incentive programme continues to encourage filmmakers to choose Georgia as the place to film, hiring local workers and prompting economic growth.”

Georgia has become one of the main production hubs in the US, partly through its base 20% filming incentive that expands to 30% with the inclusion of the state’s peach logo in a production’s credits.

Ava DuVernay’s film tells the true story of the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by Dr Martin Luther King.

Hit TV zombie drama The Walking Dead has been based in Atlanta for the past five years and the city also hosts the Hunger Games and Divergent young adult drama franchises.

Savannah recently hosted filming for Channing Tatum’s male stripper sequel Magic Mike XXL. The city has hired production industry veteran Ralph Singleton to help promote Savannah as a film-friendly location.

(Image: Atsushi Nishijima / Paramount Pictures / Pathe / Harpo Films)