Group looks to revive county's movie history
Colusa officials may have given it a gentle nudge, but a newly formed Colusa Film Commission has taken on a life of its own.
City officials hoped people from all over the county would step up to form the commission — now that California is back to giving Hollywood executives a tax incentive to film in the state — but they couldn't have asked for a better group, according to Jan McClintock, Colusa city manager.
An Emmy Award winner, a science fiction writer, local movie theater executives, a Colusa film history expert and several others have volunteered to form the Film Commission, which will be charged with attracting filmmakers to Colusa County.
"I'm really impressed," McClintock said. "We're fortunate to have dedicated folks willing to take this and run with it."
The new Film Commission includes Marilyn Kennedy of Arbuckle, Emmy Award winner and member of the Sunn Classic Pictures board of directors; Mike Wilkinson and Chris Middleton; owners of Colusa Theater; Charles Yerxa, a Colusa movie history expert; Barbara Lees of Williams, a former Southern California resident; Colusa Councilwoman Kay Hosmer, a former Sonoma County Film Commissioner; Cheri White, Community Foundation of Colusa County director; Mike Williams of Maxwell, a science fiction writer; and Elissa Cowsert of Colusa, a classic movie buff.
McClintock said the Colusa City Council adopted a film ordinance last year, but thought an independent Film Commission that promoted the entire county and region would be more successful than an entity under the arm of the Colusa government, and bound by open government regulations.
The new group plans to operate under the umbrella of the Community Foundation, a local nonprofit organization.
The Film Commission's purpose will be to work with site locators and other Hollywood executives to make Colusa County an ideal spot to shoot movies, commercials and documentaries.
"We have lot to offer," Middleton said. "It's a way to get Colusa into the spotlight."
Colusa County had a long history with Hollywood and served as the backdrop for films like "The Warlord," staring Charlton Heston (1965), "tick…tick…tick (1970), "I Walk the Line," staring Gregory Peck (1970) "Brother John," starting Sydney Poitier (1972), "Trouble Comes to Town," starring Lloyd Bridges (1972), in which they blew up a gas station at the corner of Sixth and Market streets, and "Huckleberry Finn," staring Ron Howard and Merle Haggard (1975).
Filmmakers eventually left California to take advantage of huge tax incentives in neighboring states, like Arizona and Nevada.
Sacramento legislators reinstated California's tax incentives in 2009, McClintock said, in an effort to keep filmmakers from spending their money in other states.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to market the county," said Kennedy, who is taking the lead on the project. "Colusa County has such a wholesomeness. It is a tremendous economic opportunity."
The commission hopes to market Colusa County's assets, which include historic homes and buildings, the Sacramento River, open land and agriculture, East Park Reservoir, wild life refuges and the Mendocino National Forest.
Commissioners plan to connect with the California Film Commission and movie executives to provide permitting information, location assistance and filming resources in Colusa County, in an effort to bring filmmakers back to the region.
