Kentucky Just Approved 14 More Productions for State Tax Credits. $42.9M Is Still Available in 2026.

The Kentucky Entertainment Incentive scoreboard refreshed this week with two cycles of new approvals — May 8 and May 28. Twelve projects cleared the May 28 KFLC review for a combined $6.14M in potential tax credits. Two May 8 approvals — TOTD Film LLC’s “Twilight of the Dead” ($3.84M) and AANAXION’s “I Never Should Have Slept with Him” ($3.35M) — both shoot in Barren County. Total CY2026 commitments are now $32.09M against the $75M annual cap. That leaves $42.91M open for the rest of the year.

Lexington-Filmed “Where the Heart Lands” Airs Tomorrow Night, 8 PM on Lifetime. Bluegrass, Keeneland, and Film-Lex Get the National Spotlight.

Lifetime airs “Where the Heart Lands” Saturday May 30 at 8/7c. The movie was shot in Lexington and Paris with Film-Lex backing. Haylie Duff directed and co-wrote. Jana Kramer and Tyler Johnson star, with John Schneider (“Dukes of Hazzard”) and Charlene Tilton (“Dallas”). Kramer told TVInsider the racehorses on screen are real Keeneland horses, called the Kentucky backdrop “stunning.” Plot: an LA real estate agent inherits a dozen racehorses and the Kentucky trainer who runs the farm.

KFLC Approves “Whisper Sisters” TV Series for Louisville Shoot — $128,975 Tax Credit

At its May 28 meeting, the Kentucky Film Leadership Council approved Liquor Sisters LLC’s scripted TV series “Whisper Sisters” for the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive program. The Jefferson County production shoots June 21 through July 30 with $410,093 in qualifying spend and a $128,975 refundable credit. Ownership includes Louisville-based Emmy-winning casting director Mary Clay Boland (Friends, The Sopranos) and Riverside Entertainment co-founder Brian Loschiavo.

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West Kentucky Now Has Its Own Film Commission. Seven Member Cities. Direct AFM Pitch.

The West Kentucky Film Commission (WKFC) officially launched May 28, 2025, at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts in Madisonville with Governor Andy Beshear headlining. Member cities and counties are Bowling Green, Oak Grove, Franklin, Central City, Henderson, Owensboro, and Paducah. Co-commissioners Jeremy Winton and Kristi Kilday plan to launch a rotating film festival across member cities and pitch the region directly to studios and indies at the American Film Market in Los Angeles each November.

Source: Owensboro Times →

The LEX MXR — Kentucky Production Network Mixer at LEX Studios. Saturday, May 23. 6–9 PM. Lexington.

KYFilmCrew.org, KY Creature FX, and LEX Studios are hosting an in-person crew mixer at LEX Studios in Lexington on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 6 to 9 PM. The event is free with registration through KYFilmCrew.org. The room: Kentucky-based film and TV crew sitting across from producers, UPMs, line producers, and project leads working in the Bluegrass. For producers actively scouting Kentucky for summer and fall shoots, this is the fastest way to put faces to the directory listings. For crew, registration through the KYFilmCrew.org directory is required to attend.

Producer read: Kentucky’s crew base has grown faster than the published directory shows. The LEX MXR puts a face to every résumé and gives producers a single Saturday evening to staff a Kentucky-based shoot from the room. LEX Studios — the state’s largest purpose-converted facility — is also the venue, so location, crew, and stage walk-through happen in one stop.

Cinema Systers Film Festival Runs May 21–24 in Paducah. West Kentucky’s UNESCO Creative City Puts Independent Filmmakers in Front of an Audience.

The Cinema Systers Film Festival runs May 21 through 24, 2026 in Paducah — Kentucky’s UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. The festival is promoted on the official Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau film industry page, which also confirms Paducah is now an active partner in the West Kentucky Film Commission launched earlier this year. The festival lands inside the same week the new regional commission was announced, putting independent film traffic on Paducah’s downtown for four straight days.

Producer read: independent festival audiences on the ground for four days in a city that just got pulled into a new regional film commission. Locations, crew, and lodging contacts all sit inside the Paducah CVB film concierge office — same week the West KY FC’s seven-city footprint went public. Useful for indie features scoping a western Kentucky shoot in 2026 or 2027.

SB 324 Is Now Permanent Kentucky Law. The Record Lists It as Acts Chapter 194.

The Kentucky Legislative Record now shows SB 324’s final action as signed by the Governor and assigned Acts Chapter 194 — the bill’s permanent citation in the 2026 Regular Session Acts. That means the entertainment incentive overhaul is codified, not just signed. The law keeps the $75 million annual KEI cap, makes the credit refundable, carries any unused cap forward into future years, and adds video games, music videos, and commercials to the list of eligible productions. The record was last updated May 20, 2026.

Kentucky’s SB 324 Film Tax Credit Overhaul Takes Effect Midsummer 2026. National Producer Press Has Picked It Up.

Wrapbook’s national May 2026 production incentive roundup names Kentucky’s SB 324 as one of the country’s 2026 incentive changes producers should track. Bloomberg Tax confirmed the bill signing on May 6. The new law keeps the $75 million annual KEI cap, makes the credit refundable, lets any unused portion of the cap carry forward into future years, and adds video games, music videos, and commercials to the list of eligible productions. Wrapbook puts the effective date at midsummer 2026 — meaning the carryforward provision and new eligible categories begin influencing 2026 and 2027 production decisions within weeks.

Producer read: three new categories of eligible Kentucky-spend production come online inside the next 60 days. Commercials, music videos, and game cinematics that previously had no credit path in Kentucky now do. Carryforward also closes the year-end cap rush problem — productions denied at the cap can land cleanly in the following calendar year without losing the credit.

Indie Mystery Feature “The Opium Equation” Is Shooting in Lexington Right Now. Author Named the KEI Tax Credit as a Draw.

WKYT confirmed crews are filming an adaptation of Lisa Wysocky’s Cat Enright equestrian mystery novel “The Opium Equation” at Claybank Farm in Lexington. Principal photography began May 6, 2026. Director Brad Etter. Sophie Bolen stars as lead Cat Enright. Wysocky is on as animal and script consultant. Wrap is planned for the end of May. The project is headed to TV and streaming. Wysocky cited Kentucky’s 30–35% refundable entertainment incentive as a factor in choosing the state.

Source: WKYT →

Kentucky pays the refund in about 4 months. Georgia takes about 18. That gap is the producer-attraction story most studios are not pricing in.

KEI credits are refundable. Once a production wraps and the audit clears, Kentucky cuts a check in roughly four months. Georgia’s comparable rebate process runs about eighteen. For a feature carrying interest on a tax-credit advance, that’s more than a year of carry cost off the production’s books. SB 324 (signed April 23, 2026) added carryforward on the $75M annual cap, so unspent room rolls into the next year instead of evaporating.

Producer read: the headline rate matters, but the cash-back clock matters more once a film hits post. Four months of payout beats eighteen months of payout every time you build a financing waterfall. Kentucky cleared SB 324; the framework is current and the Council is meeting monthly.

New TV Series “Co-Parenting Court with Bill Gobin” Filming at Kentucky Sound Stage in Hancock County. Q1 2026 Air.

Goldenrod Film & Television has begun production on “Co-Parenting Court with Bill Gobin” — a new unscripted series shooting at the Kentucky Sound Stage in Hancock County. The series follows real western Kentucky families through real-life co-parenting cases after separation or divorce. Bill Gobin, based in Princeton, KY, is the author of “Co-Parenting is Simple If You Get Over Yourself.” The show is slated to begin airing in the first quarter of 2026. For producers: this is a working example of a Kentucky-owned production company shooting a series-format slate inside a Kentucky-owned soundstage — full vertical-stack in-state. UPMs scoping unscripted, court-format, or docuseries pitches now have a Hancock County comp running with Kentucky crew and KY Sound Stage as the base.

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Lifetime’s “Where the Heart Lands” — Shot in Lexington and Paris — Premieres May 30. Film-Lex Backed the Production.

“Where the Heart Lands,” a Lifetime original directed and co-written by Haylie Duff, premieres on Lifetime at 8 p.m. on May 30, 2026. The movie shot in Lexington and Paris, Kentucky with support from Film-Lex — the Lexington-region film commission that launched in 2024 — and features Keeneland and Bluegrass horse country throughout. The cast is Jana Kramer, Tyler Johnson, John Schneider, and Charlene Tilton. The Kentucky Theatre in Lexington hosted the red-carpet world premiere ahead of broadcast. For producers: this is a working example of Film-Lex routing a national-network shoot into the Bluegrass — script, locations, and on-location crew landed inside Kentucky for a Lifetime slate title. UPMs scoping romantic-drama or horse-country features now have a 2026 comp running on basic cable May 30.

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KFLC May 8 board book live. April 30 signed minutes posted. Two months of post-SB 324 Council activity now public.

The Kentucky Film Leadership Council meeting materials for May 8, 2026 are live on the Cabinet for Economic Development KEI page, along with signed minutes from the April 30, 2026 meeting. That’s two consecutive monthly KFLC meetings publicly documented since Governor Beshear signed SB 324 on April 23. Next regular meeting: May 28, 2026. Schedule is monthly through October, then TBD.

Producer read: if you want to know how Kentucky’s new film-credit framework is being administered, the room is public and the paper trail is current. Council books and minutes drop on a regular cadence. No mystery on who decided what.

Kentucky’s First Purpose-Built Soundstage Is a $29M Nadus Studios Build in Louisville. A $70M Louisville Gardens Stage Complex Is the Next Layer.

Nadus Studios is investing $29 million to build Kentucky’s first purpose-built soundstage in Louisville — a structural change for productions that have previously relied on converted warehouses and location-only shoots. Sitting alongside it, the planned $70 million Louisville Studios at the Louisville Gardens redevelopment (Sylmar Studios partnership) is set to add a second purpose-built complex in the same metro. For producers: stage capacity has been the single biggest gap in Kentucky’s pitch to studio-scale productions. Two purpose-built facilities in Louisville take the conversation from “where will we shoot the interiors” to “which stage do we book.” UPMs scoping 2027 builds should put both on the location scout list.

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Louisville Lands on MovieMaker Magazine’s 2026 Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker. Ranked No. 16 of 25.

MovieMaker Magazine named Louisville one of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026 — the first time the city has made the list, debuting at No. 16 of 25 nationwide. The editors cited Louisville’s wide range of locations, mild four-season climate, the up-to-35% KEI cash-back incentive, recent feature work including Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire (with Louisville doubling for 1970s Indianapolis) and Alex Vlack’s The Revisionist (Dustin Hoffman, Andre Holland, Alison Brie), plus Speed Cinema’s Flyover Film Festival (15th year) and a new film degree launching this year at Kentucky College of Art and Design. For producers: this is third-party validation that pairs with the KEI math when pitching above-the-line talent on a Kentucky shoot. The national-press hook removes the “you’re in Kentucky?” objection at the financing-meeting stage.

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Northern Kentucky University Becomes 2026 Home of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. Film+Photography Is One of Nine Disciplines.

Northern Kentucky University will host the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) for the next three years, starting with the 2026 summer residency June 7–27, 2026. GSA runs as a three-week intensive for top high-school artists across nine disciplines — Film and Photography is one of them. The program had previously been hosted at the University of Kentucky for six years.

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Bloomberg Tax briefed its national tax-pro readers on SB 324. Kentucky’s film-credit reform is on every studio tax advisor’s desk now.

Bloomberg Tax Daily Tax Report State published a brief on Kentucky’s amended film tax credit program. Their summary: the Governor signed a law establishing “a new organizational structure and modifying credit allocation methods,” maintaining the $75M annual cap and adding refundable credits plus carryforward of unused funds for high-impact productions. Citation: S.B. 324, enacted 04/23/26.

Producer read: when Bloomberg Tax flags a state credit change, it gets routed to the tax advisors who decide which states productions shop. Kentucky is now in that briefing.

A Hallmark Movie Shot Entirely at Churchill Downs Just Aired on Derby Day. The Reviews Are In.

“Kentucky Roses” aired Saturday May 2 at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel — Derby Day — and streamed the next day on Hallmark+. Production-side reports peg principal photography at October 2025, shot entirely in Kentucky, with 10 of 15 filming days inside Churchill Downs. Reviews landed across the romance-genre press: one outlet called it “a near-perfect Hallmark Channel movie,” another noted “the setting provides much of the film’s strength, offering atmosphere and visual authenticity that often outweigh the narrative itself.” For producers weighing locations, the takeaway holds: a national network just proved a Kentucky-shot title can land Kentucky on premiere night, day-of Derby. Destination IP, network-promoted, on-premiere-night.

Source: Fantasy Land News review →

Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on Record. 19.6M Average. 24.4M Peak.

NBC Sports’ broadcast of the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026, averaged 19.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock — the most-watched Run for the Roses on record, up 11% from 2025. The audience peaked at 24.4 million from 7:00–7:15 p.m. ET as Golden Tempo, a 23-1 long shot, came from last place to win by a neck. Peacock posted a record 1.3 million average-minute audience, the most-streamed horse race in NBC history.

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Cherie DeVaux Becomes First Female Trainer to Win the Kentucky Derby. Story Hooks for KY Productions.

Cherie DeVaux made history on May 2, 2026, becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. Golden Tempo, ridden by Jose Ortiz at 23-1 odds, came from last place to overtake Renegade in the final furlong, winning by a neck and earning the $3.1 million purse. Before DeVaux, the closest a woman had come was Shelley Riley’s runner-up finish with Casual Lies in 1992 — a 34-year gap.

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Tomorrow Hallmark Premieres a Movie Shot at Churchill Downs. This Is What Producers Should Notice.

“Kentucky Roses” premieres Saturday May 2 at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel — Derby Day. The film stars Andrew Walker and Odette Annable in a two-timeline story set at Churchill Downs. Per the Hallmark Media and Churchill Downs joint release, the production spent 10 of 15 filming days inside Churchill Downs, working around the venue and Louisville. A national-network original built on a Kentucky landmark, on a Kentucky-iconic broadcast date. For producers weighing locations, the takeaway is straightforward: Kentucky books destination IP and lets a network promote Kentucky on premiere day.

Source: Churchill Downs / Hallmark Media →

For producers weighing locations: KEI runs at 30 to 35 percent refundable on qualifying spend, with a $75M annual cap and roughly four-month refund turnaround. SB 324, signed April 23, 2026, adds carry-forward of any unallocated cap, a per-episode payroll cap for series, and expands eligibility to video games, music videos, and commercials. The track record above is what existed before SB 324 took effect.

For producers: series budgets get cleaner with the per-episode $1M payroll cap. Video games, music videos, and commercials are now on the KEI list. Unused cap no longer vanishes at year end, which helps productions that cross calendar years. Sponsor: R. Stivers. Effective under the standard GA timeline.

For UPMs and line producers planning post-Derby Louisville work: Eastman’s team is the liaison for Metro Louisville permits and Louisville Tourism tie-ins. She was confirmed to the KFLC chair seat 38-0 by the Kentucky Senate on April 15, 2026 with a term to June 30, 2029.

For producers: Kentucky now has a Louisville stage option to pair with Lexington (LEX Studios) and Owensboro (Kentucky Sound Stage). Three purpose-built locations across the state. Stack the KEI 30 to 35 percent refundable credit against any of them.

For producers: this is the KEI pipeline in motion. Wrigley Media Group and LEX Studios in the producer chair, Kentucky crew working, two Kentucky towns standing in for a fictional Kentucky town. Great American Family is on a run of Kentucky-shot holiday titles. KEI applies at 30 to 35 percent refundable.

For UPMs and line producers: faster refund cycles tighten completion bonds and free up interim finance costs. Kentucky’s CY2025 cap still has roughly $61.5M available. Kristina Slattery runs intake at KEI.