Florida doesn’t quite compete with other states like Georgia to our north or Louisiana to our west when it comes to Hollywood film productions, but that's not stopping filmmakers in our community.
From the “Queen of Swing,” to “Captiva” to a critically acclaimed documentary right here in Fort Myers, John Biffar has worked on dozens of productions over the years. Several of them have been made right here on the Gulf Coast.
“I think that the people really just want to see a good story,” Biffar said. He’s a storyteller at heart. “You know, telling stories in this medium is, to me, is the ultimate.”
It’s a passion he shares with the people you’ll see on stage this year at the 97th Annual Academy Awards . As Hollywood prepares for the biggest night of the year, Biffar is preparing to showcase one of his latest projects to the filmmaking community.
“We just finished a film here locally called ‘Worth the Fight,’ and it's about a man who started a gym to help kids from various backgrounds and kind of save their lives,” Biffar explained.
That man is Steven Canton. “I've been the founder and the president of SJC Boxing Club for many, many years,” Canton said. “Mainly, the film itself portrays and follows various kids that came into my gym with severe problems.”
It’s a program designed to keep troubled teenagers on the right path in Fort Myers. Biffar took notice and decided to document the impact it’s been having.
“John Biffar did a fabulous job as producer of the movie and portraying these kids and following them for a period of time from training, competition and afterwards,” Canton added.
“We have a world premiere in New York for coming up here soon,” Biffar explained. They’ll be showing a revised, longer version of the film which originally debuted in Fort Myers. It’s just one example of the Gulf Coast shining brightly in the world of cinema. The future looks even brighter.
“What I expect this year are folks who are coming from Los Angeles, folks who are coming from Hollywood, folks who are coming from Canada, New York, Chicago, and from around the world,” said Eric Raddatz. He’s leading the Fort Myers Film Festival into its 15th year later this spring. He’s met a lot of filmmakers over the years because of the festival.
“It's tough being a filmmaker in town, because the state doesn't really have any incentives,” Raddatz added.
I checked with the Florida Department of Revenue. Their website says, in part, that productions in Florida may be eligible for an exemption from sales and use tax if you're buying or leasing certain items used for production in the state. That's not nearly as significant as the 20 percent base transferable tax credit offered to productions just across the border in Georgia.
“There are cities within in Florida that are offering small percentages, six or seven percent to film there. To get it done, you need more than just the lobbyist,” Raddatz said.
While the financial incentive may not be as great in our state, “I think filmmaking is really more about blooming where you're planted,” Biffar said.
He told me it’s that passion of creativity that drives him to keep telling stories here on the Gulf Coast.
“Living and working in Southwest Florida is great, and I happen to make a living as a filmmaker, but I think it has less to do about where I live than, you know, the passion of wanting to get a film made.”
The new version of “Worth the Fight” makes its debut in New York in April. This year’s Fort Myers Film Festival is set for May.