Thanks to some smart tax incentives enacted in Kentucky in 2015, film-making is flourishing in the Bluegrass, and this week Rusty introduces you to two of the region’s most notable producers. This week, the C-J did a feature on the film-making boon here, noting that 56 productions applied for tax incentives in 2016. On the streets of the city, we came across actors like Nicholas Cage and Jon Voight.
We start off 2017 with Stu Pollard, who just completed shooting a new film, Rust Creek, in and around Louisville. Pollard, who teaches a class in film at USC and divides his time between L.A. and his hometown, is also a prominent member of the Louisville Film Society. Rust Creek is his seventh feature film produced here, and is a story about a young woman confronted by her own mortality for the first time. It’s been almost two years since Stu and I first talked on the show. In 2015, he was planning a huge Oscar party with the Film Society.
Archie Borders, who runs the professional video production company 180 Degrees, produces feature films with Kentucky roots, including his upcoming production about a bourbon salesman’s adventures in France. A member of the Louisville Film Commission, Archie is a tireless advocate for the city as a great place to make a movie.
The start of 2017 brings a couple of familiar stories into the headlines — a snow forecast that has school officials panicking, and Kentucky Republicans pushing anti-abortion bills at the start of the session. The difference this time is that the GOP has control of the government, and could succeed in placing additional restrictions on women’s choices. And there’s a movement to replicate the bathroom bill that cost North Carolina so much in terms of national reputation and events vacating the state.
There’s also plenty to talk about over at EatDrinkTalk, where this week Steve Coomes and I have interviews with the executive chef at Proof on Main and the head brewer at Gordon Biersch. And next week, you’ll have an opportunity to hear from a former cybersecurity pro at the CIA, Bonnie Stith. She’s the featured speaker at Tuesday’s Breakfast of Champions at the University Club.
