Film industry in Louisiana

The film industry in Louisiana has grown dramatically in recent years largely due to the state's 2002 tax incentives aimed at attracting film and television companies. The success of Louisiana's film industry caused the state to be nicknamed "Hollywood South" or "Hollywood on the Bayou". In 2013, by some measures, film and television production in Louisiana exceeded that of California for the first time.

Film-making in Louisiana began in 1898 with the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. The first film filmed in Louisiana was (film)]]. Since then over 600 major feature films, short films, documentary shorts, television series, and music videos have been produced in Louisiana. It has been the site of several notable productions over the years, the first of which was Tarzan of the Apes, completed in 1918. Other earlier film productions include Jezebel, A Streetcar Named Desire, Easy Rider, Live and Let Die, and The Big Easy.

Louisiana has hosted a long list of major film and television stars over the years whose reputations and talents have likely played a role in the rise of state's film industry. Some of these actors and actresses include Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Denzel Washington, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Julia Roberts, Dennis Hopper, Cicely Tyson, Elvis Presley, Dennis Quaid, John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Richard Pryor, Jackie Gleason, James Spader, Dolly Parton, Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Yul Brenner, David Niven, Jimmy Stewart, James Mason, Brad Pitt, Charles Bronson, and Daryl Hannah.

In 2002, Louisiana passed unique tax incentives aimed at recruiting film and television productions to the state. By 2011, the state's skilled crew base had grown by over 400 percent, and since 2006 over 300 films have been shot in Louisiana. The industry truly entered the national spotlight though when The Curious Case of Benjamin Button earned thirteen Oscar nominations, the most in 2009.

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