Boots Riley to shoot new feature film, ‘I Love Boosters,’ in Oakland

( KRON ) – Director, writer, musician, and beloved Bay Area native Boots Riley announced he will be shooting his newest feature film, “I Love Boosters,” where he grew up in Oakland. According to Deadline , “I Love Boosters” will feature Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Lakeith Stanfield, and Demi Moore, among others.

The Oakland native partnered with international film production company Neon to produce his second feature film, which follows his first successful feature, “Sorry To Bother You.” The film centers on a ring of “boosters,” otherwise known as shoplifters, who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. The initial report said other plot details are under wraps.

In July, Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife introduced The Film Rebate Program , an ordinance that incentivizes film productions to be shot in Oakland. Teams could receive rebates and cut production costs by renting local film equipment or hiring Oakland natives from low-income zip codes.

Despite never being explicitly tied to “I Love Boosters,” when speaking about the program, Fife mentions speaking to local filmmakers, including Riley, “for years” about the now-passed ordinance.

“For years, I’ve been in conversation with local Oakland filmmakers, including Rafael Casal to Boots Riley, about what it would take to have a thriving film industry in Oakland,” Fife said, claiming much of these conversations – as well as research – “culminated” to the rebate program.

According to the ordinance, the rebate program will give film production teams a 10% reimbursement on any rentals or services done in Oakland. The same goes for the wages of any Oakland natives hired by the production team.

An additional 2.5% rebate will be given if production is spent on worker-owned coops. “Cooperative practice has a long history of creating economic prosperity for the disenfranchised,” Fife said.

Fife said funds will be available specifically for productions with budgets as low as $50k-$250k, “intended to support documentarians and local artists.”

A study led by the Bay Area Video Coalition says these film rebate programs not only help create new businesses and services to address the industry’s needs but also give local youth access to a resource to develop professional skills.

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