Grab your popcorn, Louisville, because this Monday is for the movies.
While you may not think of Louisville as a bastion of cinema, Kentucky offers some aggressive tax incentives for filmmakers who shoot their productions in the Bluegrass State.
The Kentucky Film Office, which is tasked with administering the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program offers up to $10 million in tax credits for projects produced in Kentucky. Plus, Louisville was one of just six cities in the running to host the Sundance International Film Festival — but ultimately came up short.
We’re going to keep this feature to a tight 90 minutes, since we know you’ve got a whole day ahead of you. Here are 9 movies that were filmed in Louisville.
“Kentucky”
Year: 1938
Filming locations: Louisville, Lexington, Los Angeles + Inglewood
Synopsis: This Romeo and Juliet story is set amid the horse racing scene in Kentucky. The family feud between lovers Jack + Sally dates back more than 70 years, when Jack’s grandfather killed Sally’s great grandfather over horse theft.
Box office: N/A
Where to watch: Rent on YouTube
“Stripes”
Year: 1981
Filming locations: Fort Knox + Louisville
Synopsis: Bill Murray stars in this comedy as John Winger, who, after getting fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, joins the U.S. Army with friend Russell Ziskey, played by Harold Ramis. Bill’s character emerges as the leader of the misfits in the army, but his hijinks threaten to cause an international scandal.
Box office: $85.3 million
Where to watch: Pluto TV, rent on YouTube or Amazon Prime
“The Insider”
Year: 1999
Filming locations: Louisville, Mississippi, New York + the Bahamas
Synopsis: Al Pacino and Russell Crowe grace the Ville as Lowell Bergman and Jeffrey Wigland in this fictionalized account of a true story based on a “60 Minutes” segment on big tobacco. Russell’s character is a former tobacco industry executive who blows the whistle on his previous employer and finds himself on the receiving end of death threats. Al’s character, a TV producer, struggles to help Russell defend his testimony.
Box office: $60.3 million
Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV or YouTube
“Elizabethtown”
Year: 2005
Filming locations: Louisville, Versailles
Synopsis: Who can forget this moody romance between Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst? Orlando plays Drew Baylor, who travels to Elizabethtown, Kentucky for a memorial service honoring his late father where he meets a stewardess named Claire, played by Kirsten.
Box office: $52 million
Where to watch: Pluto TV, rent on YouTube or AppleTV
“Secretariat”
Year: 2010
Filming locations: Louisville, Lexington + Louisiana
Synopsis: This biographical sports drama film revolves around the story of Triple Crown winner Secretariat and the family who raised him.
Box office: $60.3 million
Where to watch: Disney+
“Tammy”
Year: 2014
Filming locations: Louisville, but mostly North Carolina
Synopsis: Tammy, played by Melissa McCarthy, sets out on the road from her home in Louisville with her grandmother Pearl, played by Susan Sarandon, after she wrecks her car, loses her job, and finds her husband entangled with a neighbor.
Box office: $100.3 million
Where to watch: Hulu, Disney+
“Mom and Dad”
Year: 2017
Filming location: Louisville
Synopsis: A teenage girl and her younger brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origin causes parents, played by Nicholas Cage and Selma Blair, to turn violently on their own kids.
Box office: $165,932
Where to watch: Starz, YouTube TV, Hulu, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video
“The Art of Self Defense”
Year: 2019
Filming location: Louisville
Synopsis: Casey Davies, played by Jesse Eisenberg, enrolls in a karate dojo after being attacked by a motorcycle gang. Casey meets a charismatic sensei who teaches him how to defend himself, but he soon uncovers an underground fraternity of violence he must confront.
Box office: $2.4 million
Where to watch: Tubi, YouTubeTV, Hulu
“Wildcat”
Year: 2023
Filming locations: Louisville, Shelbyville + Frankfort
Synopsis: Hawke’s daughter Maya Hawke stars as Flannery O’Connor in this biopic based on the author’s life and her short stories in equal measure. It tracks her journey to getting her first novel published, moving from her Southern home to New York, meeting fellow writer Robert Lowell, and eventually coming down with lupus.
Box office: $563,591
Where to watch: Rent on YouTube or AppleTV
