A Little Town With a Big Story . . .
Big Stone Gap, Virginia is a little town with many stories. Stories we are anxious to tell. All we need is the chance to tell them.
The movie Big Stone Gap is a project that has been in the works for over 7 years. This quiet little town in the Appalachian Mountains has waited patiently, knowing that someday it would have the chance to shine.
Adriana Trigiani has been hard at work, fulfilling her dream of bringing Big Stone Gap to life on the big screen. Adriana has written the screenplay and production is slated to begin in the Spring of 2007. Now, the little town needs the support and help of Adriana's dedicated fans.
Big Stone Gap will be produced by Storefront Pictures and directed by Adriana herself. Together, they are making final casting decisions. However, the final decisions concerning the location of filming are left up to Storefront. Big Stone Gap, Virginia may not be their first choice for the majority of filming, something the town desperately wants to be a part of.
Production developments could shift the filming to another state, except for the shooting of a few local scenes. The problem centers around generous financial incentives offered by the state of South Carolina, which is aggressively seeking to expand its attraction as a site for film making, versus modest incentives offered by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Film Office.
In a November press release, Jessee Ferguson, spokesman for Del. Brian J. Moran of Alexandria, chairman of the Virginia House of Delegates’ Democratic caucus, made public the delegate’s effort to seek extraordinary financial incentives from the state to make sure Big Stone Gap the movie is shot entirely in Virginia.
Adriana is passionate about making the movie in her hometown of Big Stone Gap; however, the film’s producers in Los Angeles may be inclined to take advantage of a more lucrative offer from another state. Producers initially budgeted this film to be shot entirely in Southwest Virginia, and that is still Adriana's goal.
Here is how you can help.
Join residents of the Town of Big Stone Gap in a grassroots lobbying effort. By visiting our Support BSG page, you will be able to email several key decision makers who have the ability to authorize initiatives, funding packages, or other incentives that will bring the majority of filming back to Virginia. This page is complete with content suggestions and talking points for your email.
Secondly, spread the word about our efforts. The more support and unity we show, the greater our chances of accomplishing the goal of securing the filming for Big Stone Gap in our beloved town.
The impact of the filming is not restricted to the filming itself, but also the tourism and recognition following. It will be the afterglow of a developing legacy that will bring Big Stone Gap, it's people, and a treasured culture into an international spotlight.
It's important to Adriana. It's important to Big Stone Gap.
"If I had sold the film rights, it would have been just another romantic comedy with dramatic elements. It would have been less authentic," she says. "It's a way to show the world what I really see in the story and what I think is important about the landscape and the people."
~Adriana Trigiani, USA Today (October 31, 2006)
A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that every dollar spent on incentive money or tax breaks for a film production returns $14.