Iowa Revives Film Rebate Program But it Still Seems to Fall Short

Iowa is launching a new film rebate program, the state's first since 2009 after its last incentive program ended in a publicized scandal.

Per KCRG, the new two-year pilot program offers up to 30% back on qualifying expenses. In order to qualify, productions must adhere to the following guidelines:

READ MORE: A New Movie About an Iowa Family is Now Available to Stream

• Productions must come from Iowa studios
• Productions must carry a budget of at least $1 million
• Productions must be filmed "mostly" in the state of Iowa
• Productions must be made available to the public via some avenue

How the New Rebate Plan Falls Short:

Iowa's first major film rebate program ended in 2009 after millions of dollars were misused. This time around, the state has implemented more safeguards against fraud, including specifying "allowable and non-allowable expenses," per KCRG. It also requires a third-party review of the production's final budget before any funds are approved.

Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Director Eric Dean Freese called the program "baby steps," but lamented the fact that it's not competitive compared to other states:

I’m not really satisfied with this piece of legislation. I think a better program would be one that appreciates the work that’s being done by those smaller budget productions - Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Director Eric Dean Freese, per KCRG

As someone who is fairly well-versed in the film industry, and has covered it in various respects, the problem with this rebate program is it favors larger productions. Consider Are You Dead Yet?, a local production from filmmaker Jayme Schmitt, who shot much of the film in Dubuque and premiered it at the Five Flags Center in 2024. That film cost $2,000 to make; a paltry figure when compared to other local independent films. KCRG caught up a filmmaker who made her production for $12,000.

This rebate program would not help them in any way because they don't meet the $1 million budgetary criteria.

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Asking Iowa to remotely rival even a pocket of Hollywood, or Georgia, and their film/TV tax breaks and grants is completely unreasonable. However, the number of movies I've seen that are "set in" Iowa despite being filmed in a completely different state is astounding. While that speaks to the state's vast ruralness and lack of resources when compared to other metros, it also speaks volumes to the state's unwillingness to help local productions.

The application window for Iowa's revived film rebate program is open through March 16th, 2026 too, so that's a very small window of time. Meanwhile, funding runs through 2027. Read more on KCRG's website, and view the application for the program here.