Illinois' film industry bounces back after 2023 strikes

Yahoo

13-05-2025

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) – Is Illinois the new Hollywood? Not quite, but the state's film industry continues to grow.
After a production slowdown during the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes in 2023, the state's film industry bounced back in 2024, bringing in $653 million in expenditures and generating $354 million in wages since the Film Production Tax Credit was passed. This marks the second-highest in state history.
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Director of the Illinois Film Office Peter Hawley said the tax credit has been key in expanding the job market in the industry.
'You have to think about the film production tax credit as a job creation act,' Hawley said.
The tax credit, which was extended through 2032 now allows out-of-state crew members to be part of the incentive. The program provides a 30% tax credit on production spending—from wages and food to post-production. Unlike other states, Illinois does not have a cap on film and television tax credits. This is to encourage more companies to film in Illinois and help expand workforce training programs.
Many organizations and small independent filmmakers are already benefiting from the Illinois Film Office's media training program grant. Organizations like Free Spirit Media are already seeing the impact of investing in youth.
Free Spirit Media is a nonprofit organization on the West Side of Chicago that trains young adults and connects them with production companies.
The executive director of the organization, Aurora Toshiko King, said the funding and tax credit have been transformative.
'When we started out with this project, we worked with approximately 20 young people. We did not have funding that first year from the Illinois Film Office,' King said. 'The funding came in the second year, and we worked with 60 young people in the intensive program. We had some other workshops where other young people could connect with young adults through the Creative Pathways program, and now we are offering a more robust, holistic year-long experience.'
The program offers internships and job placements on major shows like Chicago Fire and The Chi. While Chicago is the main hub of the state's film industry, Hawley said the office continues to push investment in other parts of the state.
'We want to bring production opportunities to every corner of the state. There's a film coming up that's a small independent film filming at Pere Marquette State Park outside of Saint Louis on the Illinois side,' Hawley said. 'So we want to bring in more work. We have more soundstages than we ever had before. There's more studio production and production in the Marion and Carbondale area. There are some soundstages coming up in Rock Island.'
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Last year, about 18,200 workers were hired, excluding extras. The Illinois Film Office's workforce training program trains over 250 people through grant funding provided by in-state productions.
'So I would say not only have the numbers increased, but also the kind of depth, the number of hours,' King said. 'The investment in these artists—really vouches for the power of the work. Now out of this project [Creative Pathways program] emerged an alumni space where they are working together to support each other in their careers, collaborating on film projects.'
From 2017 to 2024, the tax credit brought in over $4.5 billion and witnessed successful shows and independent films such as Dark Matter on Apple TV+, The Bear, the award-winning comedy-drama, and Ghostlight, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Illinois Film Office is expected to announce more grant funding for filmmakers next month to continue its goal to grow the film workforce in the state.
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