That's showbiz

San Antonio reels in impressive ranking among 25 best big cities to be a filmmaker

San Antonio ranked No. 22 in a list of the 25 top cities to live and work as a moviemaker.

Good news for cinephiles and aspiring directors: For the fifth year in a row, Alamo City has landed a prestigious spot among the 25 best big cities to live and work as a moviemaker. Landing at No. 22 on MovieMaker Magazine's annual list, San Antonio joins four other Texas cities in the top 25: Austin (No. 12), Dallas (No. 20), Houston (No. 21), and Fort Worth (No. 25).

MovieMaker compiles its annual list based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research, and personal visits whenever possible — with the notable exclusions of Los Angeles and New York:

"We don’t believe people should have to be rich or well-connected to make movies," writes MovieMaker Editor Tim Molloy. "And we know plenty of people who moved to L.A. or New York with filmmaking dreams and ended up working industry-barely-adjacent jobs just to pay the bills. We think the best place to live is one you can afford — a place where you can be happy, inspired, and financially free to pursue your art."

These criteria are themes throughout the ranking: Atlanta, Georgia, took the top spot overall, followed by Vancouver, British Columbia (No. 2), and New Orleans, Louisiana (No. 3). The five Texas cities on the list all boast more affordability than Los Angeles or New York, and each one features a deeply supportive film community and various local incentives.

San Antonio came in fourth among Texas cities at No. 22, selected for its plethora of permitting options, reinstatement of local film incentives, and growing educational opportunities such as the University of Texas at San Antonio’s new Bachelor of Fine Arts Film & Media Studies program. Other factors include overall costs of living, production resources, friendliness, and authenticity.

"San Antonio has a rich film history, and besides being plugged-in, friendly, and affordable, it's almost astoundingly photogenic,” Molloy writes. “San Antonio's experienced, economical crews can and do handle every type of production, from indie films to commercials to unscripted shows and docs. It's a great place to get regular work while saving money to make your own films, drawing on the impressive talent all around."

In the past year alone, notable San Antonio-based productions have included full-length feature films (The Answer to My Prayer, Peregrinacion a San Antonio), television and streaming programs (American Ninja Warrior; My True Crime Story; and more), and commercials (Travel Texas; The Storied Secrets of San Antonio; Kroger; Tecovas; Toyota; and more).

“Earning this prestigious accolade five years in a row shows to the world what filmmakers who have been shooting in San Antonio since the 1920s already know, San Antonio’s is a top-tier city to make movies due to experiences both on and off set,” said Department of Arts & Culture Executive Director Krystal Jones in a release. “In 2022, the City of San Antonio made it clear that filmmaking is a priority with the reinstatement of our local film incentive. Since then, we have noticed the size and caliber of film productions inquiring about and coming to San Antonio continues to increase, resulting in San Antonio cast, crew, vendors and support services seeing a positive benefit economically.”

Elsewhere in Texas:
Austin unsurprisingly took the highest Texas spot at No. 12, scoring points beyond the obvious benefits of SXSW. MovieMaker praised smaller fests like the Austin Film Festival, as well as the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, and Austin's impressive list of filmmaker residents (Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, and Terrence Malick — to name a few).

Dallas earned the No. 20 spot for its easy access to both coasts, diversity, experienced crew base, easily obtainable permits, hotel deals, and more. Houston placed right behind Dallas at No. 21, with MovieMaker touting its diversity and low cost of living. Last but not least, the No. 25 ranking went to Fort Worth, where Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spinoff 1883: The Bass Reeves Story is currently shooting — and looking for talent.

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

Life for a horse in San Antonio is about to look a lot different. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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San Antonio City Council votes to end horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030