Louisiana, along with New Mexico, were the first states to offer tax incentives to reduce the costs of making a movie; that was 2002. In 2004, Louisiana had 24 projects filmed in the state.
Now with an increasing number of states offering large incentives to production companies, they may never see those numbers again. Still, some in Hollywood are embracing Louisiana in spite of this.
According to the SFGate, here are some of the projects that continued after Katrina or will start in Louisiana soon:
"The Reaping" shut down production in Baton Rouge when the state capital was deluged with Katrina evacuees last September, but star Hilary Swank and company resumed work there a week later. The Andy Warhol-era indie film "Factory Girl," Sandra Bullock's "Premonition" and Bernie Mac's "Pride" also have filmed in Louisiana within the past few months. Brad Pitt's big-budget "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" begins preproduction in November, and producers are gearing up for the Louisiana production of the Antonio Banderas thriller "Homeland Security."
Louisiana Film Commission Executive Director Alex Schott said, "For a lot of these filmmakers, I think there's been this feeling of wanting to give back to an area that was devastated, most of the producers who have shot here have been very pleased."
Whatever happens overall in the post-Katrina world for Louisiana, especially New Orleans, it has to be encouraging for the residents to see a little bit of Hollywood walking around their state.
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