REGIONAL MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS: SAVANNAH

Led by the Savannah Regional Film Commission and building on local assets including the home campus for the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah is building an impressive ecosystem for film production. In 2019, eight feature films, 18 television projects, and 12 commercials were filmed across the city, generating a 2019 direct spend of $125.6 million.

The quality of Savannah-lensed projects is strong. Ford v. Ferrari, which used Savannah for location work, was a Best Picture Academy Award nominee. Critically acclaimed television projects shot in Savannah include Ozark (Netflix), The Underground Railroad (Amazon) and Council of Dads (NBC).

The Savannah Regional Film Commission continued to raise Savannah’s profile as an emerging production hub, increasing the number of productions shot in the region and attracting qualified crew members to the area. The expansion of film production, the development of support services, and retention of film workforce paid off in an increase of direct film dollars to the local economy. This growth and continued success of the incentive led to its renewal through 2024.

The record setting growth has helped place Savannah as one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Best Place to Live and Work as a Moviemaker: Small Cities and Towns. Savannah has consistently been ranked in the top four since 2015, taking the #1 spot in 2020, 2019, 2017, and 2016. The Savannah Regional Film Commission was also named “Outstanding Film Commission” by the

Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) at the 8th annual LMGI Awards for their work on The Underground Railroad. This honor recognized the work done by SRFC and also the incredible effort made by local crew, businesses, and government agencies in the creation of the limited series. The growth of the film and television industry in Savannah reached $207 million in 2022 direct spending, with several major studio TV series and feature films in production. The combination of the Georgia Tax Credit, Savannah Entertainment Production Incentive, skilled crew base, and diverse locations make Savannah an ideal place for the industry to flourish for years to come.