North Carolina

Rate
25%
Credit Type
Cash Grant (direct payment)
Min. Spend
$1.5M (features)
Cap
$31M/year
Project Cap
$7M (features), $15M (TV season)
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What Films Were Shot in North Carolina?
North Carolina has attracted major film and television productions with its 25% cash grant (direct payment). Notable productions filmed in North Carolina include The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It, Dirty Dancing, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Iron Man, Iron Man 3, and 1 more.
Filming in North Carolina
Behind the scenes of productions shot on location across Winnipeg and Manitoba.

The Conjuring
Photo: ©Warner Bros. Pictures / New Line Cinema

The Conjuring
Photo: ©Warner Bros. Pictures / New Line Cinema

Dirty Dancing
Photo: ©Vestron Pictures

Hunger Games D11
Photo: Murray Close / ©Lionsgate

Iron Man
Photo: Zade Rosenthal / ©Marvel Studios

Iron Man
Photo: Zade Rosenthal / ©Marvel Studios

Iron Man
Photo: Zade Rosenthal / ©Marvel Studios
North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant Program
North Carolina's current incentive is the Film and Entertainment Grant Program, which operates as a rebate-style grant rather than a tax credit. The North Carolina Department of Commerce states that the state offers producers financial rebates of up to 25 percent on qualified expenses.
Minimum Spend Thresholds and Grant Caps
- Television series: minimum in-state spend of $500,000 per episode; grant cap of $15 million per season
- Feature-length film: minimum spend of $1.5 million; grant cap of $7 million
- Made-for-television movie: minimum spend of $500,000; grant cap of $7 million
- Commercial production: minimum spend of $250,000; grant cap of $250,000
Application Process
North Carolina's program is intentionally administered as a formal grant process rather than an automatic tax credit. Applicants should first complete the NC Film Office's Intent to Film Notification Form and then, after an eligibility review, proceed to the formal Film and Entertainment Grant Application. The state also directs applicants to read the enabling statute and the current program guidelines.
Strategic Notes for Producers
North Carolina is best understood as a meaningful grant-based incentive state with a strong crew base and established production culture, but one that should be approached as a formal application-and-allocation jurisdiction rather than as a simple statutory tax credit market. Its competitiveness lies in the combination of a clear up-to-25-percent rebate structure, real annual use by productions, and a well-developed state film office infrastructure.
Last updated April 14, 2026









































































































































































































































































































Budget Templates
Applying for the credit?
Use our budget templates to organize qualified expenses into the proper chart of accounts.
Browse TemplatesFilm Office
301 N. Wilmington Street Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919-447-7777







