The Cherokee Nation Film Office has announced it will soon offer a groundbreaking film incentive program, becoming the first tribal film office in the U.S. to do so. The Cherokee Nation Film Incentive will provide up to $1 million in annual funding for productions filmed within the Cherokee Nation’s 14-county reservation.
“Since establishing our film office, we’ve worked diligently alongside our state and local partners to help grow the film and television industries in Oklahoma,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “There are substantial benefits in launching this powerful economic tool within the Cherokee Nation Reservation. In addition to expanding career opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers, producers, directors, actors and behind-the-scenes crew members, this new incentive program reinforces Cherokee Nation’s commitment to creating quality jobs and supporting small, family-owned businesses within our tribal communities.”
CNFO will begin accepting applications for the tribe’s film incentive on March 1. The base incentive offers a cash rebate for qualified production expenses. Prequalified productions filming anywhere within Cherokee Nation’s 7,000 square miles of northeast Oklahoma are eligible for the rebate incentive.
With this annual $1 million incentive program in place, the tribe hopes to create economic development and grow job opportunities by encouraging the production of film and television projects within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation. The incentive also offers increased funding for employing Native American citizens, as well as utilizing Native-owned businesses.