The Top Ten Cities in North America for Independent Moviemakers by George Wing, MovieMaker Magazine, issue no. 41, Vol. The capital of our smallest state practically leads the nation in terms of an enlightened government that will jump through flaming hoops to encourage production. A special downtown arts district provides housing and tax breaks for working artists.
Commercial activity keeps crews busy.
The current production boom is no random occurrence, but the result of a concerted effort by City Hall and the business and arts communities. And it's not just the big-budget shows that get support. For local moviemaker Laura Colella's indie feature, Tax Day, the mayor's office arranged for street sweeping machines, access to the main Post Office and a fire engine. And consider the Independent Film Tax credit recently passed by the Rhode Island Legislature. It's designed specifically to encourage Rhode Islanders to invest in local independent film.