Film Productions in San Francisco Generate $32.3M, Driving an 84% Jump in Direct Local Economic Impact

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Film SF | San Francisco Film Commission today released their annual Impact Report for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, showing substantial year-over-year gains in filming activity and local economic return.

The city permitted 309 productions this fiscal year– up 28% from 241 last year– generating an estimated $32.3 million in direct local spending, an 84.6% increase over the previous year's $17.5 million.

“San Francisco has long captured the world's imagination, and the films made here have introduced generations of audiences to our iconic landmarks and neighborhoods,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to visit productions filming across our city and meet the talented crews behind them—many of which would not be here without the legislation we signed modernizing the Scene in San Francisco incentive program. The arts are driving San Francisco’s economic recovery, and I'm confident that filmmakers will continue to choose this city, because we will always champion the creativity and innovation that drives their films and helps our city succeed.”

Across 555 shoot days, productions supported over 3,600 local crew hires, 5,630 SAG-AFTRA bookings, and 4,303 hotel room nights, generating hotel tax revenue that directly funds local arts, cultural organizations, and community programs, supporting the city’s broader arts and cultural ecosystem through Proposition E (2018) - Hotel Tax Allocations for the Arts. In addition, direct production spending went into neighborhood businesses, from catering and equipment rentals to hardware suppliers and transit operators.

Major projects filmed in San Francisco this year include Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, Leah McKendrick’s Voicemails for Isabelle, Sean Durkin’s Deep Cuts, Kelly O’Sullivan’s The Steel Harp, and Joe Talbot’s Believe in SF campaign. Beth de Araújo’s locally filmed Josephine, starring Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, and Mason Reeves, supported by the Scene in San Francisco incentive program– won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is now in Oscar consideration.

“San Francisco has everything filmmakers need to tell their stories—from iconic locations and world-class crews to a vibrant film and media ecosystem,” said Manijeh Fata, Executive Director of Film SF | San Francisco Film Commission. “Our role is to make it as easy and competitive as possible to film here by continuing to improve city processes, advocating for the production community, and delivering the highest level of service. That includes championing policy and incentive changes that make San Francisco more competitive for productions in an increasingly competitive market. The expansion of the Scene in San Francisco program is an important step forward, and we’re continuing to build the partnerships and infrastructure needed to bring more productions, jobs, and spending to our city.”

The jump in production activities follows the February 2026 signing of the modernized Scene in San Francisco incentive program, after unanimous approval by the Board of Supervisors. The updated program offers a competitive rebate – providing up to $1 million cash rebate via 10-20% back on qualified local spending and labor and 100% back on City fees. For every dollar Film SF has rebated, productions have spent $12.50 in San Francisco.

“Film SF’s delivery of $32 million in economic return is a remarkable achievement– especially for a lean team operating beyond capacity to cover everything from policy reform and advocacy to daily location permitting and on-site production coordination,” said Jack Song, President of the San Francisco Film Commission. “As mayoral-appointed commissioners from labor, local business, and the creative community, we share that tireless commitment to support Film SF’s initiatives and elevate San Francisco’s image on the global stage. This impact report reflects the direct results of that shared work.”

The full report is available at sf.gov/filmsf.

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About Film SF

Film SF and the San Francisco Film Commission champion filming in San Francisco. We are a City agency that strives to attract a diversity of storytellers to the cinematic city of San Francisco and foster filming to stimulate economic development, create jobs, and share the beauty of our city with the rest of the world. For more information, visit Film SF. Read about our updated incentive here.