Illinois Film Incentives Help Power Award-Winning Indie Production

By AI, Created 8:25 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Chicago filmmaker Jack Kenny used Illinois’ expanded film tax credit and Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul to produce Tears to a Glass Eye, now streaming worldwide. The project lands as state leaders report record production spending and a growing economic payoff from the incentive.

Why it matters: - Illinois is using its expanded film tax credit to pull more productions into the state. - The incentive is helping smaller productions lower costs while supporting local jobs, crew development and regional spending outside Chicago. - The state’s latest production surge signals that Illinois is competing more effectively for film and TV work as other markets contract.

What happened: - Chicago-based filmmaker Jack Kenny and Imagination Colony produced the neo-noir detective film Tears to a Glass Eye in Illinois. - The production used the state’s expanded Film Production Tax Credit, SB 1911, and filmed at Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul. - The film is now in worldwide digital release on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Fandango. - The movie stars Chris Browning as detective Martin Dye and Natasha Henstridge as Dori. - Kenny said the project was designed to fit the film’s small-town, non-urban setting while keeping production in Illinois.

The details: - Flyover Film Studios is a six-acre sound studio in Rantoul with standing sets, soundstage space, production office space and other production support. - The studio works with colleges, businesses and local residents to train and expand the crew base. - Kenny said the production employed dozens of Midwestern cast and crew members. - Kenny said the film also helped inject growth into the local economy. - Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said Illinois film production spending reached a record $703 million in 2025. - State officials said that level supported an estimated 18,000 industry hires. - The 2025 total marked a 25% increase from 2019, before the pandemic. - Stagerunner said Illinois is one of the few U.S. markets still expanding while others contract. - Stagerunner also said the state’s 35% transferable film tax credit, extended through 2039, gives studios and producers long-term certainty. - A 2026 Giggster report ranked Illinois among the top four U.S. states for film production and first in the Midwest. - An independent analysis found the tax credit has returned $6.81 in economic activity for every $1 spent. - The same analysis said the incentive generated more than $4.5 billion in economic activity from fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2024. - The analysis attributed 94% of that growth to Gov. Pritzker’s enhanced tax credits and investments. - Robert Stern, a founding partner of Flyover Film Studios, said last year’s production volume injected nearly $4 million directly into Champaign County.

Between the lines: - Illinois is trying to turn film production into a broader economic development strategy, not just an entertainment story. - The combination of a transferable tax credit, studio infrastructure and local labor appears to be the state’s main competitive advantage. - The attention on Central Illinois suggests production activity is spreading beyond the Chicago metro area. - Kenny’s comments point to a growing perception that the Midwest can offer lower-cost, professional production options for film companies and TV projects.

What’s next: - Kenny plans to shoot his next film, Boy Code, in August 2026 and again use Illinois incentives and Flyover Film Studios. - Continued production volume will test whether Illinois can sustain its current momentum through 2039, when the tax credit extension expires. - Local studio operators and state officials are likely to lean on the current results as proof that the incentive is delivering measurable returns.

The bottom line: - Illinois is pairing tax policy with studio capacity to build a durable film production hub, and Tears to a Glass Eye is being held up as evidence that the strategy is working.