Companies seek court order to stop release of film tax credit records

DES MOINES – State officials are delaying the release of documents related to the state's film tax credit program after companies sought a court injunction to stop their release.

The companies seeking the court order claim the information was provided to the state in confidence and contains trade secrets that should not be made public.

The state's film tax credit program currently is part of a criminal probe, after a possible mismanagement of the program was uncovered.

Gov. Chet Culver suspended the program temporarily after revelations that movie officials used the tax credits in the purchase of luxury vehicles.

Media outlets have sought records regarding the film tax credit program through open records laws, but state officials have withheld some of them.

Kay Snyder, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Economic Development, said they anticipated releasing some records Friday but were advised not to do so by the Iowa Attorney General.

“IDED and the Attorney General's Office are reviewing how to handle the records at issue of film projects that are not plaintiffs in the pending lawsuit,” Snyder said in a statement. “IDED will not release relevant records until a decision is made with respect to these projects.”

Those records include reports from production companies on what they spent to make their movies or other projects. Those expenses are used to claim the tax credits.

The companies seeking the injunction to stop the release of the records include the following: Iowa Film Production Services, Mississippi Films Inc; Polynation Pictures Inc., Field of Screams, Underground Films Inc., Ticket Out Productions, TriCoast Iowa Productions, GPX Development, September Productions, Ten/Four Pictures.