Lubbock earned its Film Friendly certification through the Texas Film Commission in 2021. This designation encourages communities to develop their film industry and encourage productions to come to the community to create films. There is a lot of quiet film work that occurs in our community. The film industry, like other creative industries within the city, is filled with talented people doing good work.
While Lubbock doesn’t look like a large film destination, it has some elements which place it in a unique space to support productions which visit town. Texas Tech University is an enormous resource with its College of Media and Communications offering students who are willing to be production assistants for visiting filmmakers. The community has some incredibly unique venues which lend themselves to film including the Lubbock Cemetery, National Ranching Heritage Center, American Windmill Museum and LHUCA. All film friendly locations are open to both local and visiting producers. Our office helps filmmakers navigate through location scouting as well as permitting with the city. We are here to help.
It is important that filmmakers have opportunities to connect with each other so that they may continue to develop projects and feel supported along the way. Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation is working to facilitate those connections. In September, we’ll hold our first Filmmaker’s Meet Up at Goodline Beer. This open invitation gathering will be a great opportunity for film professionals in Lubbock to network with each other. The Flatland Film Festival is also a great opportunity to see regional and international films and provides opportunities for industry pros to get together throughout the event. Flatland Film Festival is hosted by LHUCA and will take place the last weekend of September.
We are now exploring the new certification offered by the Texas Film Commission which is the Digital Media Friendly Certification. This designation offers an opportunity to create an advisory committee which we have established and this group will be instrumental in developing ways to connect the industry further.
Finally, we have established two groups on social media to begin to develop the film industry and they are both called “Filmmakers of Lubbock” and can be found on Facebook and LinkedIn. These public groups offer a way to virtually connect with others, share ideas, projects and information. They will also be the cornerstone of communication from our office about upcoming events and opportunities.
Filmmakers – there’s a place and community for you here in Lubbock. We hope you’ll connect with us so we can continue to move this great industry forward together.
