By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – A controversial movie at the Sundance Film Festival has sparked a state senator to propose that North Carolina should review movie scripts before handing out tax incentives.
Rockingham County Republican Senator Phil Berger is drafting legislation after discovering that parts of the movie Hound Dog were filmed in the Wilmington area.
The controversy centers on a rape scene involving the 13-year-old actress Dakota Fanning. Director of the Wilmington Film Commission Johnny Griffin says state law already screens out films ineligible for incentives.
Any other type of criteria that you try to put on it I think becomes very subjective. And unless it can be properly defined then it's really hard to do that I think.
North Carolina's film incentive offers a 15% tax credit to movies or television productions with at least a $250,000 budget for filming inside the state.