Federal Strategy

The United States has one of the most influential screen industries in the world, but unlike nearly every other major film-producing nation, it has no federal film office, no unified national strategy, and no single hub coordinating the global promotion of American film and television.

More than 100 countries operate national film offices or agencies that coordinate incentives, talent development, and global promotion. The U.S. remains one of the only major production nations without one. The United States has also lacked an active federal film production incentive since Section 181 of the Internal Revenue Code expired on December 31, 2025.

That is changing. In August 2026, the President publicly endorsed a federal film and television production incentive, and momentum in Washington is real: a proposed bill, The Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act, has drawn support from unions, studios, producers, and film commissions across the country. FilmUSA is helping lead that coalition, delivering letters from the film community in every state urging passage of a federal production incentive.

FilmUSA is building the case and the infrastructure for a National Film & Television Office (NFTO) at the U.S. Department of Commerce, modeled on the partnership between Brand USA and the National Travel & Tourism Office for tourism. Under this model, the NFTO would serve as the federal hub for data, policy, and international promotion, and FilmUSA would serve as the official non-profit liaison, leveraging its 120+ member offices as a nationwide implementation network.