San Antonio's Film-Friendly City Streak Continues

Published on January 22, 2025

SAN ANTONIO (January 22, 2025) – The City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture and its Film Commission announced today that San Antonio has, for the seventh year in a row, been named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker.” Featuring the top 25 “Big Cities” in the U.S. and Canada, San Antonio (ranks at #20 this year, up from #24 last year) joining four other Texas cities on the list (El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and Austin) and is featured among other film industry heavy hitters like Albuquerque, Atlanta and Toronto.

MovieMaker Magazine compiles its annual list based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research and personal visits whenever possible. Cited as reasons San Antonio was selected, which were supported with data provided by the Film Commission, include the San Antonio Supplemental Film Incentive Program, plus the city’s “hardworking, efficient crews that are growing in numbers,” diverse locations, affordability and film-friendly permitting services.

"We always tell filmmakers that the best city for them is one where they'll be happiest in all aspects of life — while having enough collaborators and resources around to make their dream projects,” said Tim Molloy, Editor of MovieMaker Magazine. “San Antonio is an excellent option in this regard. It's affordable, friendly, professional and offers a mix of some locations that could pass for anywhere, and other locations that you can't find anywhere else on the planet.”

A sample of notable productions filmed in San Antonio in the past year include:

• TV/Streaming: 1923 (Paramount+), Leguizamo Does America (MSNBC), Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (Food Network), Triple D Nation (Food Network), Food is Love (PBS/ Amazon), Family Recipe w/ Gordon Ramsay, Why the Heck Did I Buy This House (HGTV), I am a Killer (Netflix), American Monster (Investigation Discovery), Relative Race, The Servant, The War Dog's Story: Giving a Voice to the Voiceless, YOLO Texas

• Feature Films/Documentaries: Confessions of a Female Gamer, America at War (Amerique en Guerre), UTSA Football Documentary, My Rocking Chair, Teenage Vampire 3, American Teen, Inertia, Angel, Dolphin Summer, Into the Gravel Pit, Sherlock Holmes Mare of the Night

• Commercials: Kia; GMC; Church’s Chicken; Whataburger; San Antonio Spurs; H-E-B; 7 Eleven; Keller Williams; USAA; Travel Texas; Visit San Antonio; Hyatt; Marriott Bonvoy; Oak & Eden Whisky; Toyota; Texas CASA; “Adopt-A-Highway” and “Don’t Mess with Texas” PSA Campaigns

“We are looking forward to continued growth for the media production industries of San Antonio, increasing film-related tourism in the San Antonio area and making San Antonio an even more prominent filmmaking destination in the year ahead,” said Department of Arts & Culture Executive Director Krystal Jones.

The City of San Antonio has furthered its longstanding support the arts and prioritization of filmmaking with its continued investment in the Supplemental San Antonio Film Incentive Program which provides qualified productions with up to 7.5% rebate on approved San Antonio spending and eligible expenditures. Paired with the State of Texas’ Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP), projects filming in San Antonio can be eligible for a total incentive of up to 30%, one of the most competitive rates in the U.S. and the most competitive rate in Texas.

For MovieMaker Magazine’s 2025 list of Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker and complete details, visit MovieMaker.com. For more about filming in San Antonio, including the San Antonio Supplemental Film Incentive, visit FilmSanAntonio.com and @filmsanantonio.