Las Vegas, Nv. -- The Nevada Film Office, as part of its ongoing program of support and commitment to retain film-related jobs in the United States, will be participating in the upcoming FILM US conference in Washington, D.C. on May 3rd and 4th. This conference will provide interaction with congressional representatives and federal officials.

FILM US has been launched to serve as a voice for the motion picture industry at the national level, and has as its number one priority the common goal of keeping filming on American soil. The Nevada Film Office joined FILM US during its inception at the semi-annual Cineposium Conference in July of 1998.

This organization represents an unprecedented coming together of nearly 200 local film commissions from across the United States. Although film commissions around the United States are traditionally competitors, this challenge of how to overcome production flight out of this country has bound them together into a unified advocacy group committed to making the U.S. more film-friendly. According to Charles Geocaris, Director of the Nevada Film Office, "Film-friendly translates into streamlining the Federal bureaucracy, cutting red tape and supporting finance ial incentives that level the playing field throughout the world."

Nevada has taken an aggressive posture toward this pursuit of film-friendly goals on a statewide level already, as spearheaded by the Chair of the Commission on Economic Development, Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt. "The entertainment industry in our state is a major revenue source that benefits every citizen," says Lt. Governor Hunt. "From a national standpoint, it is also our number one export. It makes sense for Nevada to work with FILM US, assisting the efforts to keep this industry within our country's borders whenever and wherever possible."

Already, FILM US are taking steps to reach out to the production community by establishing a Federal level. The new nationwide hotline can be reached by phoning 877-4-FILMUS. It will be linked to a 24-hour pager service.

"FILM US will be a 24-7 resource for filmmakers. This is about jobs, American jobs. Filmmakers roll film 24 hours a day, seven days a week," according to Robin Holabird, Deputy Director of the Nevada Film Office. "We need to be there when they call, whether it's 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning."