California is doubling down on its bid to keep film production rooted in Hollywood.
State officials on Wednesday unveiled a new round of film tax credit allocations, awarding $116.2 million to 28 feature films that together are projected to generate $562 million in economic activity across California. The slate spans studio tentpoles, prestige auteur projects and indie-driven features — and arrives as the state ramps up its newly expanded $750 million annual film and television incentive program, more than double its previous level.
Among the highest-profile recipients: a Snoop Dogg biopic from Universal Pictures, Ang Lee’s long-anticipated return with Gold Mountain, a Glen Powell-produced Sony feature, and Guerrero, a film directed by Gina Rodriguez.
The allocations mark the second major feature-film round since Gov. Gavin Newsom officially expanded the program earlier this year, a move designed to counter years of runaway production to states and countries offering richer incentives.
“For more than a century, the world’s most iconic stories have been imagined, produced, and shared from right here,” Newsom said in a statement. “This latest round of tax credit awards builds on that legacy while delivering real results across the state: good-paying jobs, stronger local economies, and thriving small businesses.”
The Snoop Dogg biopic, directed by Craig Brewer and starring Outer Banks actor Jonathan Daviss, topped the list with an incentive award of just over $17 million. The project traces the rise of the Long Beach-born hip-hop icon — a California story through and through.
“Big love to the California Film Commission and Gov. Newsom for holdin’ it down with that tax credit,” Snoop Dogg said. “Y’all making it possible for us to tell my story right here where it all began. California raised me, inspired me, and now helpin’ bring this biopic to life in 2026. Much respect – that’s real teamwork, ya dig…”
Other notable awards include $9.9 million for Powell’s untitled Sony film, $7.6 million for Lee’s Gold Mountain — previously known as Old Gold Mountain — and $4.4 million for Rodriguez’s Guerrero. Together, the projects underscore the breadth of productions California is targeting, from studio-backed films to filmmaker-driven prestige titles.
According to the California Film Commission, the awarded projects are expected to employ 4,837 cast and crew members and account for 22,614 background performer days, with a total of 831 shooting days planned across the state. Several productions, including Gold Mountain, will film outside the Los Angeles region, qualifying for enhanced base credits designed to encourage geographic spread.
The new awards arrive as the global production landscape continues to shift. California has faced stiff competition from the U.K., Canada and incentive-rich U.S. states, while international production has also become a political flashpoint amid threats of tariffs on films produced overseas. State officials have positioned the expanded tax credit as both an economic and cultural strategy — one meant to stabilize employment and reinforce California’s identity as the center of the entertainment industry.
Since launching in 2009, the program has generated more than $30.6 billion in economic activity statewide, according to the Film Commission.
“By supporting these talented artists’ storytelling, we’re not only keeping entertainment jobs in state,” said Colleen Bell, director of the California Film Commission. “We’re reinforcing California’s status as the entertainment capital of the world.”
The next application window for television projects seeking California tax credits opens January 26, 2026, with award notifications typically issued within six to eight weeks — as the state continues its aggressive push to keep cameras rolling close to home.
