COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - The state of Missouri has shut down an office created to help lure filmmakers and boost movie-related spending as the fate of a related tax credit program remains uncertain.
The Columbia Missourian reports that the Missouri Film Office in Jefferson City closed at the end of June after 28 years. Gov. Jay Nixon cut the film office's $175,000 annual allotment to help balance the state budget.
The move comes after a state commission recommended eliminating a $4.5 million annual tax credit program for films. No such credits have been awarded so far this year, although applications remain pending.
Film industry boosters are criticizing the cost-saving step. They point to the recent successes of "Winter's Bone" and "Up in the Air," two high-profile movies filmed in Missouri.
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Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com