SAVOY — The Savoy 16 lobby buzzed with filmmakers, moviegoers and community members Sunday as “Moses the Black,” a locally grown feature film shot largely in Central Illinois, premiered to a sold-out crowd.
The premiere marked a turning point for Central Illinois’ growing film industry, as sources from local studios said productions like “Moses the Black” show the region can support large-scale projects once limited to major cities.
Produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the film follows the journey of a gang leader returning home from prison to avenge his best friend. He faces a crisis of faith after his grandmother tells him of a saint who was a reformed gangster, called Moses the Black. It also follows the life and lessons of the saint in Egypt. The film stars rappers Omar Epps, Wiz Khalifa and Quavo.
Andrew Stengele is the director of Champaign Movie Makers, an organization focused on creating local low-budget films in Champaign and screening them.
He said a large part of why productions are moving away from cities like Los Angeles is because of tax incentives. Instead, they opt for set locations in Georgia, Canada and now, Illinois.
Flyover Film Studios, a local film studio in Rantoul, has taken advantage of that tax incentive situation, Stengele said, and built a big production unit out of the old Chanute Air Force space.
Jen Shelby, president of Flyover Film Studios, said during the post-premiere Q&A that the film was originally going to shoot footage mainly in Chicago and overseas. It ended up in Central Illinois after she scouted the area with Brett Hays, founder of Shatterglass studios and producer of “Moses the Black.”
Shelby said the film has one scene with the main characters a the street in Chicago, and “the rest of it was here. If you looked closely in the glass, you could see the Joseph Kuhn & Co. logo backwards on the city street.”
Shelby said having a film of this caliber was a big step for Flyover Film Studios and the film industry of Central Illinois in general. Projects like “Moses the Black” and “Chilli Finger” starring Bryan Cranston help Central Illinois gain credibility as a film destination.
“It can save a production in the millions to come down here,” Shelby said. “I think when people see that we can film with that many locations, and the look is so good… I think it’s really gonna open the door for more and more productions.”
She said it first dawned on her how much money could be saved downstate when she did accounting for the 2024 film “Albany Road.”
“They filmed two days in Chicago. I was getting receipts, for instance, each crew member getting reimbursed $65 per day for parking. That crew was probably 50 to 70 people,” Shelby said.
In comparison, she said Flyover Film Studios has no parking fees. She said permits to close down streets for filming cost around $25 to $100, compared to Chicago’s $250 per day.
Stengele said this combination of affordability, tax incentive and versatility of filming locations are bringing more attention to the film industry here.
“I would expect in 2026, in 2027, to see more and more big-name movies, or at least movies with big names being made here in town or in the surrounding area,” Stengele said.