Making Movies in San Francisco Just Got Less Expensive

San Francisco’s film incentive program just got a major update to attract more movie productions to the city. Filmmakers are now eligible for a 100% rebate on permits, police costs and other city fees totaling up to $1 million. There’s also a 10% rebate on the first million of qualified local spending, including hiring local crews and paying for San Francisco goods and services; a 20% rebate applies to qualified spending above a million.

On Wednesday, Mayor Daniel Lurie signed the new legislation, which the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed unanimously.

“Every time people visit San Francisco, they’re blown away by our city’s beauty and energy,” said Lurie in a statement. “Film takes that feeling and carries it far beyond our city limits. And when productions choose San Francisco, they do more than showcase our city’s outstanding beauty. They invest directly in our workers, our neighborhoods and our creative economy.”

This is the first time the film incentive program, known as Scene in San Francisco, has been updated since 2006, when it was first introduced. Previously, it only reimbursed up to $600,000 in city fees. Over the past 20 years, the program has generated $26 million in wages for local workers and $69 million in spending at San Francisco businesses.

San Francisco recently made several headlines in the film world. In 2025, Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, a forthcoming drama about OpenAI founder Sam Altman, shut down several city blocks for filming in the Mission District. And Josephine, a dramatic thriller about an eight-year-old girl who witnesses a sexual assault in Golden Gate Park, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

“Having Josephine’s world premiere at Sundance served as a reminder of what’s possible when a city invests in its storytellers,” said San Francisco-born director de Beth Araújo in a statement. “These updates to the incentive will open the door for even more SF filmmakers to create affordably and authentically, with the incredible support of the San Francisco Film Commission. This city has so many stories to tell, and I’m excited to see what comes next.”