It’s Happening Here!

Click here to read our Film in Louisville Guide


Louisville is a thriving and diverse regional economic hub and home to more than 750,000 proud Louisvillians! From NuLu to Portland, from Germantown to Churchill Downs, we are a destination for world-class arts, culture and sports, not to mention the hometown of Muhammad Ali, Diane Sawyer, Hunter S. Thompson, Jennifer Lawrence, Ned Beatty, Irene Dunne, Lionel Hampton, Gus Van Sant, and Tod Browning, among many others.


Louisville knows how to roll out the red carpet for one-of-a-kind experiences – and that includes your production. Our city offers a wealth of locations, crews, vendors and resources to ensure your film, television, Broadway production or industrial project is a success. This brochure contains information about eligibility and qualifications for the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program (KEI Program). It also includes information about resources and features Louisville has to offer as you consider our city for your next production.


Along with lucrative production incentives offered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Louisville is home to a variety of production resources including experienced crew, gear rentals, soundstages, plus easy – and inexpensive – permitting. As the largest city in Kentucky, our airport offers daily nonstop service to and from more than 35 cities, including New York and Los Angeles, and our award-winning food and accommodations are all positioned within a 30-mile radius of a variety of diverse locations.

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Not only that, but we’re one of only 10 cities in America with all of the “big five” arts institution: orchestra, ballet, resident theatre, opera and children's theatre.

Louisville is the gateway to the South and yet a short distance from much of the Midwest. With our abundance of historical architecture and welcoming citizens, Louisville is the perfect home for your next film project.

Our Mission –

Louisville Forward will…establish, market and promote the city of Louisville as a premier location for film, television and new media production. We will work to educate the local community on the importance of film, while supporting the Kentucky Film Office in their mission to evangelize the city and state as a premium shooting location.

We will serve as advocates for increased local workforce and support and liaise with producers both from KY and abroad in order to attract production to the city. With a combined marketing and education approach, we will actively cultivate the local creative economy.

Crew Directory

Click here to find an ever-growing list of the local human resources for your next project. From student grips to DGA members, Louisville has it all.

Support Services

From equipment rental houses to partner hotels, caterers, private security firms and other local vendors,
click here for all your support needs.

Permits

This part’s easy! Louisville is a permit-friendly city.

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Our permitting process is a piece of cake. Most productions need only a Special Events Permit that will run $40. If you are in need of street closures or other considerations our process is a one-stop-shop.

Click here to view the permit application.

Incentives

Qualified productions have the option of taking advantage of either the sales tax refund incentive or the brand new Kentucky statewide incentives.

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The new KY incentives include:

  • A refundable income tax credit of up to 30% of approved expenditures in non-enhanced incentive counties and 35% in enhanced incentive counties. Louisville-Jefferson County is a non-enhanced county.
  • An additional 5% incentive for Kentucky-resident crew members.
  • A minimum Kentucky spend for narrative films to $250,000 ($125,000 for Kentucky residents) and $20,000 for documentaries ($10,000 for Kentucky residents).
  • An annual cap of $75 million.

Applications for the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program are reviewed and approved by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority.

Qualified expenditures include, but are not limited to, the following items:

  • The production script and synopsis
  • Set construction and operations
  • Wardrobe, accessories, and related services
  • Lease or rental of real property in Kentucky as a set location
  • Photography, sound synchronization, lighting, and related services
  • Editing and related services
  • Rental of equipment and locations for filming
  • Vehicle leases
  • Food
  • Accommodations

Click here for more information on film incentives.