(1)(a) The Nebraska Film Office Fund is created. The fund shall be administered by the Department of Economic Development and used for grants for Nebraska-based films as provided in this section.

Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 81-1220

  • State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801

(b) The fund shall consist of funds transferred by the Legislature, gifts, grants, and bequests. It is the intent of the Legislature to transfer the unexpended and unobligated balance in the Nebraska Film Office Fund on June 30, 2025, to the General Fund.

(c) Any money in the Nebraska Film Office Fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.

(2)(a) The department shall administer a grant program for Nebraska-based films and shall require applications to be submitted to the department prior to beginning production.

(b) To be eligible for a grant under the program, the applicant shall verify that:

(i) The film is to be produced in Nebraska;

(ii) The film tells a Nebraska story; and

(iii) At least fifty percent of the workforce for film production will be composed of Nebraska residents for the duration of the production except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c) of this subsection.

(c) The department may lower the fifty-percent requirement in subdivision (b)(iii) of this subsection but shall not waive the requirement. The applicant shall apply to the department to lower the requirement and provide a certification that the requirement is an unreasonable impediment to production of the film. The department shall notify the applicant of the decision under this subdivision.

(d) The department shall review each application to determine whether the film qualifies for a grant under this section and shall not award a grant that exceeds twenty-five percent of the projected production cost of the film.