by Rahul Bali, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Some of the most popular TV shows and movies are set in D.C., but not filmed in the District. Now there is an effort to change that.
D.C. Councilman Jack Evans says one barrier is that show and movie producers have to deal with multiple agencies to film. He wants to reduce the red tape for sidewalk access.
In parts of the District, the traffic lanes are controlled by local government, while the sidewalks are controlled by federal agencies.
In the case of Pennsylvania Avenue between the Treasury Building and the U.S. Capitol, some sidewalks are controlled by the National Park Service and others by the General Services Administration.
Evans says the park service and D.C. government are working together to change that.
“They are excited as well, cause they would like the (Pennsylvania) Avenue to look good. They know they can’t maintain it and the District can,” he says.
Evans says there is an economic opportunity to create an industry around filming TV shows and movies in the District, if producers had access to filming sites.
Evans hopes to bring some of his favorite shows to D.C. including “House of Cards,” which is filmed in the Baltimore area, “Scandal” and “Homeland.”
Evans says there is no reason for a movie like “Lincoln” to have been filmed in Richmond.
“How could that be, you know, that should have been here in the District of Columbia.”
