Producer Appointed to Head CFC

Schwarzenegger Firms Commitment to Promoting Film/TV Production in the State

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has bolstered the California Film Commission by naming veteran film producer Amy Lemisch as its director. The May 3 appointment came just two weeks after the governor named five high-profile, progressive figures to the panel.

With Lemisch coming on board, the governor has made clear that he wants to restore the agency to its full operational power. She fills the position vacated earlier this year by Karen Constine, who departed after the commission's budget was slashed 90 percent. Officials say the agency will gradually be refunded.

On Apr. 15, Schwarzenegger appointed Danny DeVito, Bill Duke, Clint Eastwood, Tom Werner and Lili Zanuck to the panel. At that time, Schwarzenegger also indicated that he wanted the commission to be more active in lobbying state and federal lawmakers to establish incentives to keep film production in California.

Lemisch has worked as a producer with Penny Marshall's Parkway Prods. Her credits include With Friends Like These, Riding in Cars With Boys, The Preacher's Wife, Renaissance Man, A League of Their Own, Awakenings and Calendar Girl.

The 19-year-old commission, headquartered in Hollywood, has been operating on fumes since Fall 2003 after its 20-person staff was cut by half. The state reduced its 2003-04 budget to $1.2 million, compared with $12 million in 2002-03, with the proviso that operations be limited to overseeing shoots on state property.

That move effectively ended marketing and incentive efforts, including the 3-year-old Film California First program that subsidized fees paid by producers for government services during filming on public property. Under the FCF program, the commission allocated $19 million in rebates to productions as part of its goal to put the brakes on runaway production.

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