Spotlight: San Antonio Film Commission turned 40 after issuing 586 film permits in 2025.

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On December 12, 2025, the City of San Antonio celebrated the 40th anniversary of the San Antonio Film Commission, with a special proclamation from Governor Greg Abbott, according to the city’s anniversary release. The same release put a number on the year: 586 film permits in 2025, up from 221 in 2022, while total filming days nearly doubled to 710.

The commission goes by Film San Antonio. Its About page calls it “San Antonio’s official film commission and a division of Arts & Culture.” The city created it in 1985, the anniversary release says. This is the city that let Selena fill half the Alamodome with extras for a single day in 1996, a story we told in our Selena entry.

For a production, that growth comes with a practical advantage. San Antonio is one of the few Texas cities where the film commission issues the city film permit itself, through its own online portal. Our Who to call guide walks through how that differs city by city.

Who runs it

Christine Hill is San Antonio Film Commissioner. The city’s staff directory lists her title as Film Commissioner & Music Program Manager. At the 40th anniversary, she said the city is “now offering the most competitive incentive program in Texas.”

The commission sits inside the city’s Department of Arts & Culture. Krystal Jones is Director of the Department of Arts & Culture, and the city’s director page says she was appointed in June 2022 and oversees the San Antonio Film Commission.

Who helps people make movies there

The Film & Music team in the city’s staff directory lists Hill and Joshua Lankford, Film & Music Coordinator. Both are listed with the team’s phone line, and email goes through the city’s contact form. The Contact page asks that all meetings be scheduled in advance.

What it offers filmmakers, and how to start

Film permits. The Film Permits page sends you to the city’s FilmApp portal, where the application starts. Krystal Jones listed “free film permits” among the city’s draws in a June 2025 release. The commission permits filming on more than 250 city-owned properties, per the anniversary release.

San Antonio Film Incentive (SAFI). A local rebate, paid after the project is complete, per the SAFI page. Start with the page’s “Submit an Inquiry” form. Projects include workforce development, such as on-set shadowing or workshops for local crew, and the page notes that infomercials and political ads are not eligible. Rates and terms are on the SAFI page and in our September ledger.

Location Gallery. The Location Gallery gives leads on film-friendly locations. Property owners can create or update a listing from the same page. The page notes that Film San Antonio does not set rates or arrange access for properties the city doesn’t own; for those, you deal with the owner.

Cast and crew calls. The commission posts complimentary cast and crew calls for projects with scheduled filming dates in the Greater San Antonio Metro Area. Submit the project through the page’s form and allow up to 10 business days.

Production Directory and resources. The Film San Antonio page links a Production Directory, and the Resources page lists local film studies programs and resources for registered TVSA content creators.

Festival funding. The city’s Film Festival Funding Program supports local festivals. The Local Film Festivals page lists CineFestival, Josiah Media Festival, SA Film Festival and the SA Black International Film Festival among those it has funded. The Grant Opportunities page also links outside funding sources, including NALAC and the Texas Film Commission’s list of other financial resources.

Recent achievements

November 6, 2025. City Council approved updates to the local incentive and renamed it the San Antonio Film Incentive, “as it can be used with the State’s program or on its own,” the city’s release says. The anniversary release calls it “a record expansion.”

December 12, 2025. The 40th anniversary. Governor Abbott’s proclamation reads: “Your indispensable services to the city’s filmmaking industry have played a vital role in our state’s vastly growing film scene.”

2022 to 2025. A 165% increase in film permits, from 221 to 586, per the anniversary release.

January 14, 2026. MovieMaker ranked San Antonio 14th among Best Big Cities in The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026. The entry quotes Krystal Jones saying the city’s incentive “positions our city as one of the most competitive film hubs in the U.S.”

2022 through 2024. Three cycles of Film Festival Funding Program grants to local festivals, per the Local Film Festivals page.

What’s coming next

The city’s Grant Opportunities page says the Film Festival Funding Program’s next application window opens in 2027, for a three-year funding cycle. Festival organizers planning ahead should watch that page.

For screenings and film events in the meantime, the commission’s Events page points to the city’s community Film Calendar. If you’re looking for a room to show your film, our guide to San Antonio and South Texas screens lists every independent screen a filmmaker can book.

Film San Antonio is one of eleven regional commissions across the state. Our earlier spotlight looked at the Houston Film Commission’s five-year plan.