During this final week of legislative session, we’re continuing to advocate for the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program (MPCP) in Olympia. On Monday, Washington Filmworks was honored to participate in an event recognizing the University of Washington Men’s Rowing Team, the five-time National Champions. The rowing team brought with them to the Capitol one of their historic trophies from 1936, the year that nine young men from working class families banded together, defied all odds, and won the National Title and the Olympic Gold. This incredible story inspired the New York Times best-selling book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, which will soon be made into a major motion picture.

Actors Lisa Coronado and Carollani Sandberg pose in “The Boys in the Boat” costume with members of the UW RowingTeam and their IRA National Championship Trophy from the team’s historic 1936 victory.

The question, though, remains: where will this filming take place?

Amy Lillard, Executive Director of Washington Filmworks, and Krys Karns, Program Manager of Production Services, saw this as an opportunity meet with legislators in Olympia to distribute some copies of The Boys in the Boat. They emphasized how the first step in securing such a huge production in our area would be to maintain a healthy incentive program – which is exactly what HB 2542 seeks to do, and this is precisely why it’s so important that we push to get this legislation passed in the final days and hours of legislative session.

You can see Amy’s letter to legislators here.

Thank you to Ron Lehman for providing the beautiful period costumes, to Lacey Leavitt for casting our actors, to actors Lisa Coronado and Carollani Sandberg for roaming the halls of the Legislative Building to invite elected officials to our event, and finally, to the UW Men’s Rowing Team for helping us in our efforts to Keep Film in WA!

CALL TO ACTION:

Write your legislators and tell them why it is so important to keep motion picture production alive in Washington State.

Don’t know who your legislators are? Go here.

Amy Lillard and Krys Karns from WF distribute “The Boys in the Boat” books to legislators at the Capitol on Monday.