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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A state that is home to iconic American legends, |
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talented residents, diverse settings, and abundant resources for |
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all aspects of filmmaking, Texas has long been a favorite location |
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for motion picture and television productions, and that rich and |
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ongoing tradition is being celebrated on Texas Moving Image |
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Industry Day at the State Capitol on March 9, 2011; and |
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WHEREAS, More than 1,800 films and television programs have |
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been made in Texas since 1910; the first movie ever to win the |
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Academy Award for Best Picture, the 1927 World War I epic Wings, was |
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shot in and around San Antonio; and |
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WHEREAS, Audiences all over the world have discovered the |
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Lone Star State through films and television programs made here; |
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Giant, filmed near Marfa, tells the sprawling story of cattle and |
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oil in West Texas; John Wayne's 1960 epic The Alamo brought that |
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essential Texas story to worldwide audiences; the film and |
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television series Friday Night Lights revolve around the |
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distinctively Texan phenomenon of high school football, and 13 |
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years after its release, Hope Floats continues to draw tourists to |
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its Smithville locations; Austin City Limits, aired on PBS since |
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1976, is the only television show to receive a National Medal of |
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Arts award; no fewer than nine Texas-made films and television |
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programs, including Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show, |
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have been based on the works of legendary Texas writer Larry |
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McMurtry; and |
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WHEREAS, Great storytellers from across the nation have |
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employed Texas locations, actors, and technicians to make their |
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films; Steven Spielberg shot his first feature, The Sugarland |
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Express, here, Sam Peckinpah filmed his classic thriller The |
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Getaway in San Marcos and El Paso, Clint Eastwood made A Perfect |
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World in Huntsville and Austin, and Joel and Ethan Coen utilized |
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various locations around Texas in Blood Simple and True Grit; and |
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WHEREAS, The state's own writers and directors have produced |
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many great projects here, including Robert Benton (Bonnie and |
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Clyde, Nadine), Horton Foote (Tender Mercies, The Trip to |
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Bountiful), Bill Wittliff (Raggedy Man, Honeysuckle Rose), Wes |
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Anderson (Rushmore), Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and |
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Confused), Tim McCanlies (Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, Secondhand Lions), |
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Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), and John Lee Hancock (The |
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Alamo, The Rookie); and |
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WHEREAS, Texas has hosted a tremendous variety of |
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productions, from independent films like Bottle Rocket (shot in |
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Dallas) to classic westerns like Lonesome Dove (shot near Del Rio), |
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as well as war dramas like Courage Under Fire (shot in El Paso), |
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family adventures like the four Spy Kids films (shot in Austin), and |
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romantic comedies like Miss Congeniality (shot in San Antonio) and |
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Michael (shot in Austin and La Grange); the state has also been the |
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location for such Academy Award-winning features as No Country for |
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Old Men and There Will Be Blood (both shot in Marfa), Boys Don't Cry |
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(shot in Greenville), Places in the Heart (shot in Waxahachie), and |
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Hud (shot in Claude); and |
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WHEREAS, The state is known for its highly skilled film |
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technicians, whose expertise is so well-regarded that most films |
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shot in Texas hire primarily local crews; the state also boasts a |
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strong base of acting talent, and specialized film vendors and |
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services have been a strong part of the state's economy for more |
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than two decades; and |
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WHEREAS, With over 130 companies, Texas is the nation's |
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second largest center for the development of video games, and their |
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products include such popular titles as Epic Mickey from Disney |
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Junction Point Studios, Ultima Online, a groundbreaking |
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multiplayer game from Origin Systems, and Words With Friends from |
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McKinney-based The Zynga With Friends Studio, as well as military |
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simulation training games for the U.S. Army; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the past decade, the moving image industry, |
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including film, television, videos, commercials, animation, and |
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video games, has spent more than $2.5 billion and is estimated to |
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have created nearly 56,000 jobs in Texas, and the contributions of |
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this dynamic industry to Texas, and of Texans to the industry, are |
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truly worthy of recognition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 9, 2011, as Texas Moving Image |
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Industry Day at the State Capitol and commend the many talented and |
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creative individuals involved in this exciting field. |