Chicago Named Top Indie Filmmaker City

If you’re an independent filmmaker, MovieMaker magazine put together its annual list of the top cities to host indie filmmakers and productions. Last year’s No. 1, Austin, got bumped to No. 10 in favor of Chicago. Also home to the Blues Brothers and Ferris Bueller, the Bodyguard and even Bruce Wayne, the magazine lauded the Windy City as the best place to live “as an independent moviemaker this year.” So why is it so good and which other hotspots did it beat to win?

Apparently it’s a combination of high profile films such as recent blockbuster The Dark Knight and upcoming Michael Mann gangster epic Public Enemies (also starring Christian Bale, this time facing off against Johnny Depp) and the 30 per cent tax credit incentives that secured Chicago the coveted number one spot. MovieMaker also applauded the presence of independent filmmaking such as family drama Nothing Like the Holidays. “While blockbusters like The Dark Knight will always help to fuel the production economy, Chicago is an affordable enough city for low-budget moviemakers to thrive in too,” wrote the magazine’s editors. And it seems that this new honour has been welcomed by the Chicago filmmaking community with Rick Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office stating that “it’s well deserved,” adding: “It’s not just one thing. It’s the city’s multiple strengths and assets that truly make Chicago a workable and desirable place for independent filmmakers.”

The list goes on to include the obvious (New York, Miami) and the less familiar (Boise, Wichita and Bozeman, Mt.). Paste Magazine‘s stomping ground, Atlanta, came in at No. 2.

By its own admission, the list reformed this year to include 25 cities (up from 10) and a conscious effort to consider “those places that offer the perfect combination of employment opportunities, reasonable costs of living, strong quality of life, affordable home prices and, of course, financial incentives,” not a surprise given frantic economic times. The 25 cities:

1. Chicago, Ill.
2. Atlanta, Ga.
3. New York, N.Y.
4. Shreveport, La.
5. Albuquerque, N.M.
6. Boston, Mass.
7. Stamford, Conn.
8. Memphis, Tenn.
9. Milwaukee, Wis.
10. Austin, Tex.
11. Detroit, Mich.
12. Miami, Fla.
13. Seattle, Wa.
14. Portland, Ore.
15. Philadelphia, Pa.
16. Sedona, AZ
17. Salt Lake City, Utah
18. Wilmington, N.C.
19. Boise, Idaho
20. Denver, Colo.
21. Bozeman, Mont.
22. Wichita, Kan.
23. San Diego, Calif.
24. Richmond, Va.
25. Des Moines, Iowa

Related links:
MovieMaker.com
MovieMaker.com: Last year’s list of Best Movie Cities