Miami Beach Celebrates ‘Small But Mighty’ Film Incentive, Offers $25K to Help Filmmakers Spread the Word

You’ve seen Miami Beach in countless beauty shots in film and television shows of every genre: scenes of wide, sunny beaches, neon-lit Art Deco buildings, and beautiful people from all over the world, swaying under palm trees or cruising in convertibles. 

What you may not know is that the city adjacent to Miami also offers what it calls a “small but mighty” film incentive that makes production there even more enticing.

The city’s $100,000 film incentive fund provides an instant $10,000 rebate to any production that spends at least three days and $25,000 in Miami Beach. And it can be stacked with Miami-Dade County film incentives.

“Our hope is that we get the word out that this money is available. And I'm sure that any production that's here would love the opportunity to get a $10,000 cash rebate,” Lisette Garcia Arrogante, Miami Beach’s director of Tourism and Culture, told MovieMaker. 

The Miami Beach Made Film Contest

In the spirit of promoting film in the city, the new Miami Beach Made Film Contest is accepting applications through February 10. It offers up to $25,000 to filmmakers for projects set in Miami Beach that highlight its rich culture and scenic settings like Española Way, Lincoln Road, and more.

Funding will range from $5,000 to $25,000, and pitches will be judged on their creativity, showcasing of Miami Beach, diversity, and feasibility. They cannot include explicit violence or discrimination. More details are here.

“We're very pleased that our city and our county have really put forth a big effort to help incentivize Hollywood to come back to South Florida,” says Garcia Arrogante.

Miami Beach has one of the most enviable cinematic legacies caught on film: Recent productions shot in Miami Beach include the new Dexter: Resurrection, and major past productions have included the Bad Boys franchise and the Best Picture Oscar winners Moonlight and The Godfather Part II.

But Miami Beach also attracts reality shows and indies, both in film and TV.

The city has been working with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau to “put out the messaging that we do have these incentives for large-scale productions and smaller projects as well,” she adds.

Adding to its appeal, Miami Beach has no permitting fees, and does not charge square-footage fees. It also offers discounted or free vehicle beach access passes, and many free incentives.

“So we really try to make it very easy,” Garcia Arrogante says. 

Combining Miami Beach Film Incentives

The Miami-Dade County incentives that can be combined with the Miami Beach incentive include the High Impact Film Fund Program, which offers a cash rebate of up to 20% for projects with a minimum spend of $5 million, and the Miami-Dade County TV, Film and Entertainment Production Incentive Program, which offers a 10% cash rebate to projects for budgets above $500,000. 

The city has lifted some past restrictions on its incentive program to make it easier than ever for filmmakers to take advantage of it, Garcia Arrogante says.

“Even if you are doing research on a film about Miami Beach, you can apply for some funding,” she explains. “Or if you're halfway, or towards the end of your production, and you need some finishing funds for your film, you can apply as long as it has ‘Miami Beach’ in the title, or you shot in Miami Beach at least three days and had that $25,000 spend.”

Miami Beach is also home to some of the country’s top film festivals, including the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the American Black Film Festival — which is on our latest list of our 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. Past ABFF guests have included Issa Rae, who was the 2024 festival’s creative director, as well as Halle Berry, Ryan Coogler, Kevin Hart, Will Packer, Anthony Anderson and many more. 

And Miami Beach partners with Oolite Arts, a nonprofit arts organization that offers a cinematic arts residency. The city has commissioned local independent filmmakers to make films for the last several years.

“We just want to make sure that filmmakers know that the city of Miami Beach has not forgotten them, that we're here, we support them, and we try to make sure in every way possible that their productions have a great experience," Garcia Arrogante says. "And that's why we don't charge and we try to offer as much as we can with our incentive.”  

Main image: Courtesy of Miami Beach.