ILLINOIS FILM PRODUCTION GROWS A-PACE WITH EXPANDED STATE INCENTIVES

Chicago-based Imagination Colony Capitalizes on IL Film Production Tax Credit to Produce Award-winning New Neo-Noir Detective Film, "Tears to a Glass Eye"

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Where can an independent film company find a friendly, cost-effective locale to launch what becomes an award-winning film? Chicago-based writer-director Jack Kenny, president of Imagination Colony, determined to utilize the state’s newly expanded Film Production Tax Credit, SB 1911, to shoot and produce his neo-noir detective film, “Tears to a Glass Eye” right here in Illinois. The film is now in worldwide digital release on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Fandango.

Kenny explained that utilizing Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul, Illinois enabled him to produce a film true to the distinctive non-urban neo-noir character of “Tears to a Glass Eye,” a gritty character-driven detective film, which takes place in a small-town. It stars actors Chris Browning as detective Martin Dye and Natasha Henstridge, of Species fame, as Dori.

“Using Flyover and employing the tax credit also allowed us to employ dozens of Midwestern cast and crew and inject much-needed growth into the local economy. This is a case study in how the Governor’s newly expanded Film Production Tax Credit is working in real time to make Illinois a top destination for movie and television production,” Kenny said.

Indeed, Governor Pritzker’s office recently announced that film production expenditures in Illinois reached a record-breaking high of $703 million in 2025, supporting an estimated 18,000 in industry hires. This represents a 25 percent increase in film expenditures since before the pandemic in 2019.

According to Stagerunner, a global marketplace and media platform focused on soundstages, film, and television production, with this increase and rebound from pre-pandemic levels, Illinois is “one of the few domestic markets currently expanding while others contract. The figure represents and underscores a broader shift in where Hollywood dollars are flowing.”

“At the center of Illinois’ rise is its 35 percent transferable film tax credit, which lawmakers recently extended until 2039, providing long-term certainty for studios and producers,” the publication explained. “While Illinois may not yet rival California or New York in total spending, its positioning as a mid-sized, production-friendly market is proving effective in the current climate.”

A 2026 Giggster report notes that Illinois ranks as a top-four state in the U.S. for film production, and it ranks Illinois first in the Midwest.

According to an independent analysis, the State's tax credit has resulted in a $6.81 return on investment for every dollar spent on the incentive, resulting in over $4.5 billion in economic activity between FY17 and FY24. Notably, 94% of this growth has been attributed to the impact of Gov. Pritzker’s enhanced tax credits and investments.

Kenny said that with his next film, “Boy Code,” set for shooting in August 2026, he will again capitalize on the benefits of the Governor’s tax credit, the state-of-the-art facilities at Flyover Film Studios, and a cooperative local economy/labor force in Central Illinois that proved so successful in the making of “Tears to a Glass Eye.”

Robert Stern, a founding partner of Flyover Film Studios, noted that last year's record-breaking production numbers injected nearly $4 million directly into Champaign County (where the Rantoul studio is located), proving that film is a massive driver of local economic growth. “This investment level is on track to become the new normal, giving Illinois a competitive edge and creating the blueprint to support skilled workers and build infrastructure far beyond the Chicago Metro area,” he explained.

Kenny agreed: “More and more, the Midwest, especially Illinois, is becoming a hub for professional and economical film production, drawing film companies, TV production and film-related enterprises to Illinois from other states and even from overseas.”

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Imagination Colony is an entertainment company based in Chicago, Illinois.

Jack Kenny, filmmaker and president of Imagination Colony, is an award-winning, writer, producer and director with over 30 years of production experience in the film and television industry, ranging from writing and directing to finance. He has worked in many genres, including narrative feature films, animation, and documentaries. His latest film, “Tears to a Glass Eye,” has won multiple awards in the U.S. and abroad.

Flyover Film Studios is a six-acre sound studio in Rantoul, IL with space for multi-media projects of all kinds, from music videos to feature-length films. It provides standing sets, sound stage space, production office space and peripherals. It partners with colleges, business, and local residents to educate and grow crew members and cast. Flyover Film Studios makes Central Illinois a film production destination, not just a midcontinental space to fly-over to produce a project on one coast or the other.

Susan Shaffer
Shaffer Communications
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Tears to a Glass Eye film trailer

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