Twenty-eight new film projects have been awarded funding through California’s expanded Film & Television Tax Credit Program, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday. The selected productions include a film by Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee and a biopic produced by Snoop Dogg set in Long Beach.
According to the California Film Commission, these projects are expected to hire 4,837 cast and crew members and employ background performers for a total of 22,614 days across 831 shooting days throughout the state. Qualified spending from these productions is projected at $337 million, with $209 million allocated for wages.
Governor Newsom said, “California’s film and television industry isn’t just an economic engine — it’s part of who we are. For more than a century, the world’s most iconic stories have been imagined, produced, and shared from right here, powered by unmatched talent, creativity, and innovation. This latest round of tax credit awards builds on that legacy while delivering real results across the state: good-paying jobs, stronger local economies, and thriving small businesses. It’s a clear signal that California remains the global home of storytelling — yesterday, today, and for generations to come.”
The awards mark the midpoint of Program 4.0 of the tax credit initiative, which launched in July 2025. In less than six months since its expansion, Program 4.0 has generated $4.17 billion in economic activity and created over 25,000 cast and crew jobs during more than 4,000 filming days statewide.
Colleen Bell, Director of the California Film Commission said: “We’re very proud to feature so many California-centric stories with this round. These aren’t just movies shooting here, they’re also telling the stories of the places where they’re shooting, drawing from our vivid history, vibrant neighborhoods and diverse and storied culture that are so uniquely California. By supporting these talented artists’ storytelling, we’re not only keeping entertainment jobs in-state, we’re reinforcing California’s status as the entertainment capital of the world and a larger-than-life character that no fictional one could ever rival.”
Among highlighted projects are “Gold Mountain” (Fifth Season), “Business Women” (Twentieth Century Fox), an untitled project produced by Glen Powell (Sony), “Guerrero” directed by Gina Rodriguez (Warrior Stuff LLC), and an untitled Snoop Dogg project (Universal).
Snoop Dogg commented on his project: “Big love to the California Film Commission and Gov. Newsom for holdin’ it down with that tax credit. Y’all making it possible for us to tell my story right here where it all began. California raised me, inspired me, and now helpin’ bring this biopic to life in 2026. Much respect – that’s real teamwork, ya dig…”
Scott Budnick, CEO of 1Community and producer of “Guerrero,” stated: “This film is a love letter to a community that is woven into the fabric of our state, so it’s only right that we shoot this project here. I’m so fortunate that a movie with cultural resonance to and about Los Angeles and California has been selected for the Tax Credit, and I’m excited to bring these stories to the screen.”
Gina Rodriguez added: “I’m deeply honored that our film has been selected for the California Tax Credit. Having the opportunity to bring this project to life in Los Angeles means a great deal to me, not only because this city has shaped so much of my creative path, but because it allows us to collaborate with the inimitable crews and craftspeople who make California such a singular home for filmmaking.”
Seventeen out of twenty-eight new projects will be filmed at locations throughout California outside Los Angeles’ main filming zone; these include counties such as Alameda, Contra Costa, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Sonoma as well as Joshua Tree and Palm Springs.
Ang Lee’s “Gold Mountain,” which tells an epic story about the Gold Rush era in Sacramento County will have all its out-of-zone filming days—50 in total—in Sacramento County.
The Film & Television Tax Credit Program is administered by the California Film Commission. Earlier this year Governor Newsom increased funding for this program from $330 million annually up to $750 million per year.
Since its start in 2009,the program has contributed over $30 billion in economic activity statewide while supporting more than 228 thousand cast-and-crew jobs across California.
The expanded version continues efforts toward workforce diversity initiatives,and provides additional support for career pathways training programs as well as introducing safety measures on production sets.
