In the spotlight
Dallas stars as one of the 10 best cities for filmmakers in 2026
Dallas has made its debut in the top 10 best cities for filmmakers.
Dallas has just snapped up new recognition as the No. 7 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America.
Dallas made its top-10 debut on MovieMaker Magazine's annual report, "The Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker in 2026."
The city was snubbed entirely in the magazine's 2025 list, but previously ranked as the 25th best place to live and work as a filmmaker in 2024 and 20th in 2023.
The annual list ranks the best cities in the U.S. and Canada for individuals to live while working in the film industry, based on production spending, tax incentives, cost of living, the prevalence of "local film scenes," and additional factors. The list is divided into two categories: 25 big cities and 10 smaller cities or towns.
The final list of highlighted cities are the places where the publication believes filmmakers "have the best chance of both succeeding in the famously difficult entertainment industry, and making [their] own art."
Dallas' eye-catching skyline, public art displays, and its "vast green spaces" are just a few of the attributes that make it an appealing place for filmmakers to thrive, but MovieMaker also noted that Dallas' film scene has "always been about commerce as much as art."
"In addition to hosting many of the same Taylor Sheridan productions as nearby Fort Worth, including Landman and The Madison, it also does brisk business with commercials for a bevy of major brands," the report said. "The state’s grant rebate of up to 31 percent is a major boon, as is Dallas’ deep crew base: Seasoned crew members go back to the days of Walker, Texas Ranger and the soapy classic Dallas."
The report gave a special shout-out to The Dallas Film Commission and its free production assistant bootcamp, which first launched in July 2025 in partnership with Pegasus Media Project. The commission also supports and collaborates with film schools, unions, local organizations, and festivals like the Dallas International Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival, and more.
Dallas edged out neighboring Fort Worth, which ranked as the 12th best place to live and work as a moviemaker in 2026, up seven spots from its 2025 ranking. MovieMaker said Yellowstone director and honorary Fort Worth resident Taylor Sheridan is to thank for Cowtown's jump in the report. Sheridan has shot many of his TV shows in North Texas, such as Landman; Special Ops: Lioness; 1883; and a new anticipated Yellowstone spinoff called The Madison, which will premiere on March 14, 2026.
"SGS Studios, which Sheridan founded, recently partnered on a new 450,000-square foot production campus at Fort Worth’s 27,000-acre AllianceTexas development," the report said.
Elsewhere in Texas, Austin was named the No. 5 best place to live and work as a filmmaker in North America, Houston ranked 10th, San Antonio appeared as No. 14, and El Paso landed at No. 25 on the list.
