Why Texans Don't Want This Film to Get Taxpayer Money

When Texas decided to deliver taxpayer subsidies to films shot in the state, it probably didn’t expect to be subsidizing a film with a controversial message about illegal immigration. Now, hundreds of Texans are asking the governor’s office not to give any money to Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, which centers around an illegal immigrant hunting down a shady lawmaker (who, of course, is cracking down on illegal immigration).

The film, produced by Quentin Tarantino and eligible for up to $1.5 million in subsidies, became über-controversial last month when Rodriguez created a fake trailer in which the star says he has a message for Arizona—interspersed with some intense scenes from the movie, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Film Commission is allowed to deny subsidizing movies that portray Texas negatively, but it has yet to do so—because “we want to create jobs,” the director says. “That is our focus.” A decision won’t be made until the film is finished.
(More Machete stories.)