SAN ANTONIO (December 12, 2025) – Today, the City of San Antonio celebrated the 40th anniversary of the San Antonio Film Commission, marking four decades of support for film and media productions at a time when local filming activity and incentives are reaching historic highs. The anniversary marks a key milestone in San Antonio’s longstanding cinematic legacy, including the City’s recently expanded San Antonio Film Incentive (SAFI), and a special proclamation from Texas Governor Greg Abbott recognizing the Commission’s essential role in the state’s rapidly growing film industry.
“The Commission has made a tremendous impact on the landscape of the film, television, commercial, and digital production industries in Texas,” Abbott stated in the proclamation honoring the commission. “Your indispensable services to the city's filmmaking industry have played a vital role in our state's vastly growing film scene; and by promoting San Antonio's diverse and welcoming culture, vibrant and versatile film locations, and experienced crews and vendors, you have successfully connected industry leaders with San Antonio's film-friendly community.”
Created in 1985, the San Antonio Film Commission was established to promote media production in the city and provide film permits for more than 250 city‑owned properties while connecting productions with local crews and vendors. The Commission, a division of the City’s Arts & Culture Department, also advocates for San Antonio productions and filmmakers through the department’s Artist Grants and the Commission’s Film Festival Grant program that supports San Antonio-based festivals.
“We know what sets San Antonio apart from other cities, and more than anything, it’s our people and our values,” said Krystal Jones, director of the Department of Arts and Culture. “City and industry leaders are committed to making San Antonio one of the nation’s premier production destinations — not only with incentives, but with genuine investment in every filmmaker, crew member, and student who chooses our city.”
San Antonio’s rich cinematic history predates the Commission itself, as the city helped make movie history nearly a century ago when “Wings” (filmed in San Antonio) went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929. Additionally, San Antonio established the first-ever movie studio in Texas — Star Film Ranch — and was the production location for more than 70 silent films, including the first Westerns featuring authentic Texas scenery. Throughout its history, the Commission also helped secure filming of productions including “Cloak & Dagger,” “All the Pretty Horses,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Spy Kids,” “Selena,” “Syriana,” “American Ninja Warrior,” HBO’s “Entre Nos,” Paramount +'s “1923,” MSNBC’s “Leguizamo Does America” and many more including several commercial productions.
In recent years, local production has accelerated significantly. Since the post‑pandemic restart of the incentive program in 2022, San Antonio has seen a 165% increase in film permits, from 221 permits in 2022 to 586 permits in 2025, while total filming days nearly doubled to 710.
“San Antonio’s film legacy stretches back to the 1910s, when Hollywood first discovered the extraordinary stories our locations could tell. Forty years later, the San Antonio Film Commission continues to evolve with the industry, pioneering one of the nation’s first local film incentives and now offering the most competitive incentive program in Texas,” said San Antonio Film Commissioner Christine Hill. “Our experience and innovation have helped shape local incentive models across the country, even as we continue championing the landscapes, architecture, and culture that make San Antonio a filmmaker’s dream.”
In November, City Council approved a record expansion of the local incentive program, rebranding it as the San Antonio Film Incentive and aligning it with the state’s new Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, funded at $1.5 billion through 2035. The revamped initiative raises the City’s base rebate from 7.5% to 10% of eligible local expenditures and offers additional 2% bonuses for meeting local and veteran hiring thresholds, while extending eligibility to commercial productions alongside features, documentaries, television episodes, web content, and music videos. In addition, the program also supports the professional development of the local film industry by including a workforce development requirement.