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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Governor Beshear, First Lady to attend ‘Secretariat’ screening
Walt Disney Studios to hold special advance screening at Lexington’s Kentucky Theatre
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Governor Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear will be attending the Oct. 3 special advance screening in Kentucky of the movie “Secretariat,” parts of which were filmed in Kentucky.
Walt Disney Studios today announced the plans for the screening, which will be at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington. The film will be released on Oct. 8.
“The spectacular story of Secretariat is tightly woven into the horse legacy of Kentucky – truly, this film could not have been made anywhere else but here in the horse capital of the world,” said Governor Beshear. “I worked hard to create film credits as part of our new economic development incentives package that will attract movie projects like Secretariat, and our efforts have clearly paid off. I speak for the citizens of the Commonwealth when I say we can’t wait to see Big Red on the big screen.”
Proceeds from the screening will benefit the Secretariat Foundation, a charitable organization that serves the thoroughbred racing community. Tickets for the screening at the Kentucky Theatre start at $125 per person and include general admission to the screening and a cocktail reception. The $250 per person ticket provides reserved seating at the screening and reserved seating at the cocktail reception. Tickets can be purchased beginning Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, online at secretariat.com.
“Having the screening of ‘Secretariat’ in Kentucky during the World Equestrian Games underscores the state’s leading role in the equine industry,” Mrs. Beshear said. “We’re very proud of our horse industry, our racing tradition and of this movie about one of racing’s great champions.”
The movie, about the 1973 Triple Crown winner, features Diane Lane as Secretariat’s owner Penny Chenery and John Malkovich as trainer Lucien Laurin.
“Secretariat” was the first film to receive state incentives under legislation that was proposed by Gov. Beshear and approved during a special legislative session in 2009. The legislation made changes in film incentives offered through the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority to make Kentucky more attractive to filmmakers.
Mrs. Beshear, who testified on behalf of the incentives, said that films such as “Secretariat” will offer Kentucky communities and small businesses economic opportunities when it comes to film production. “We look forward to more and more filmmakers considering Kentucky so we can promote the state’s beauty and economic development opportunities,” she said.
The Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority, part of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, approved the incentive application last year prior to the filming in Kentucky. Portions of the film were shot at Keeneland in Lexington and at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The legislation made the incentive available to companies that spend at least $500,000 to produce feature films or television shows in Kentucky and makes commercials and documentaries eligible with required spending levels reduced to $200,000 and $50,000, respectively. Broadway shows produced in Kentucky for national tour are eligible for incentives with at least $50,000 in qualified expenditures. The incentive is a refundable income tax credit of 20 percent of approved expenditures.
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