By Edmond Ortiz
Filmmakers wanting to shoot a movie, television or streaming show or a commercial in San Antonio can now take advantage of an even larger pot of incentives.
What is happening
The city is now able to offer up to 45% in rebates on film productions that carry a maximum of $250,000 in expenses thanks to a vote taken by the City Council on Nov. 6.
Until recently, the city could offer a flat 7.5% rebate on eligible expenditures within the San Antonio area, including wages paid to local cast and crew.
But state legislators earlier this year approved a $1.5 billion, 10-year investment in Texas’ film incentives, a move that includes the establishment of a $300 million biennial fund for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIP).
City officials and local film industry professionals said the state’s latest investment allows them to grow incentives that are designed to make San Antonio a regional hub for a variety of film productions.
San Antonio has had a varied history when it comes to hosting film productions. “Wings,” the first film to win a Best Picture Oscar in 1929, was shot at what eventually became Kelly Air Force Base.
Notable movies to film in San Antonio include “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Selena,” “Spy Kids,” “Cloak and Dagger,” and “The Sugarland Express,” which was Steven Spielberg’s big-screen directorial debut.
Notable TV productions that have been shot in San Antonio include “Knight Rider 2000, “Top Chef: Texas,” “American Ninja Warrior” and, more recently,” an episode of “1923.”
The San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture, earlier this year, researched and gathered feedback from members of the local film industry, who made the following recommendations that are now part of the city’s expanded incentives program:
*Raising the base rebate to 10% on approved local spending on feature films, short films, documentaries, TV episodes/series, webisodes and music videos.
*Two 2% bonuses for productions that meet the thresholds for hiring local crew and military veterans
*Aligning San Antonio’s incentive with the state’s 31% incentive for eligible commercial productions
*Productions must fulfill a workforce development requirement, which could include on-set learning experiences, workshops, or professional training opportunities for students in partnership with local colleges and universities.
Additionally, the city is changing the name of its incentive program from Supplemental San Antonio Incentive to San Antonio Film Incentive, as it can be used with the state’s program or on its own.
What they are saying
Local film community professionals and advocates said the adjusted incentives package should make San Antonio a destination for film projects.
Ceslie Armstrong, CEO of Bexar Studios and board chair of Women in Film and Television Texas said San Antonio accommodating film productions not only raises the community’s visibility creatively, but it creates jobs, helps to train talent on both sides of the camera, and contributes to the area’s economic development.
“State data shows that for every dollar spent on production, Texas receives roughly four dollars and 69 cents in economic return. That supports over 182 000 jobs and generates $2.52 billion in statewide spending each year alone,” Armstrong told the council.
“The updates proposed today will cement San Antonio as the Texas hub of the media and entertainment industry as the second largest city in the state of Texas, first film studio in Texas, the First Academy Award-winning feature film, and the most impactful incentive program in the state.”
Producer/director Danny Ramos said the larger pool of incentives will help to keep local creative talent in the area, and lure more film productions that might otherwise head for other Texas cities or even out of state.
“These program updates are about more than just the production budgets. It’s about giving working artists, camera operators, set designers, makeup artists and actors the ability to make a stable living at home and close to their families,” Ramos told the council. “Each new project brings contracts, creates jobs, bills, hotels, restaurants and help pave the way for the next generation of San Antonio creatives.”
Local filmmaker and video production company owner Sam Lerma said the expanded incentives will only add to the momentum of the growth of San Antonio’s film and mixed media industry, which is buoyed by new educational programs at area universities, a growing population, and people’s appetite for content, including commercials.
“Many companies, both local and from out of town, come here looking to film their commercials. They love our culturally rich locations, our history, and how film friendly we are as a city,” Lerma told the council.
“They rely on us to source local cast and crew…They’re coming and they’re spending locally, just like a big film, and all this money goes back into our local economy. If San Antonio provides a commercial incentive, they will definitely come back.”
According to local officials, San Antonio experienced a 165% increase in film permits since emerging from the height of pandemic restrictions in 2022 – growing from 221 in 2022 to 586 in 2025, and the total film days nearly doubled to 710.
City leaders said such figures demonstrate that San Antonio is a filmmaker-friendly community, something that is noted in MovieMaker, an industry publication.
“Today’s approval marks a reinvigorated dedication to the future of film, television, and media in San Antonio,” Krystal Jones, director of the city’s arts and culture department, said in a statement. “With expanded eligibility and new workforce development opportunities, we’re empowering local artists, crew members, and emerging talent – including students – to take part in and benefit from the remarkable growth of our film industry right here in San Antonio.”
