Things are looking up for Austin's film scene in 2024. The state capital has been deemed the No. 4 best place to live and work as a moviemaker by film industry magazine MovieMaker. That's a major leap up from Austin's rank of No. 12 in 2023.

MovieMaker's annual list ranks the best cities in North America for individuals to live while working in film, based on surveys, production spending, tax incentives, additional research, and personal visits whenever possible. The list is divided into two categories: 25 big cities and 10 smaller cities or towns.

The magazine praised Austin's 50-year history of "intense indie film production" bolstered by its 0.75 percent film incentive, on top of Texas' rebates that can go up to 22.5 percent.

The magazine noted recent high-profile projects shot in "powerhouse" Austin, including Elizabeth Avellán and Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids: Armageddon for Netflix, Max’s Love & Death, The CW’s Walker, and Apple’s The Last Thing He Told Me.

"[T]he city has more than 1,000 crew members, about 25 boutique production houses, and 18 production facilities — including two LED volume stages," the report said, noting the forthcoming Hill Country Studios, a $267 million production hub in the works between San Antonio and Austin.

Also factored into Austin's top-five rank were major events like the Austin Film Festival and South by Southwest (SXSW) that draw in thousands of industry experts, filmmakers, and fans to the city every year.

"The Austin Film Festival is also well curated and is especially targeted toward writers, who pack panels and networking events and spend weeks leading up to the festival eagerly checking their emails to see how their scripts performed in AFF’s very popular competition," the report said. "As often happens at these things, though, some of the best connections happen while you’re waiting in line for screenings or breakfast tacos."

MovieMaker predicts 2024 will be a vast improvement for all members of the film industry after a tumultuous 2023.

"Last year, like the pandemic years, was a time to reset, as much of the industry shut down so striking writers and actors could get the respect and money they deserve for their work," the report said.

The city that earned the crown as No. 1 in 2024 was Toronto, the capital of Ontario in Canada.

Notably absent from the report are Los Angeles and New York. MovieMaker famously excludes them from the big cities list — taking into consideration that both cities are already so packed full of industry creatives and opportunities — and instead focuses on more affordable places in North America.

"It’s easy in New York and L.A. to get trapped in a cycle of doing industry-adjacent jobs that won’t lead to your dream projects, or that leave you too exhausted to make your own films as you endure a long commute and testy roommates," the report's authors wrote. "When you’ve made your breakthrough — when agents and managers and studio executives and fellow filmmakers start demanding regular face-to-face meetings — maybe that’s when it’s time to move to New York or Los Angeles."

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report include San Antonio (No. 24) and Dallas, which tied for No. 25 with El Paso.

The top 10 places to live in North America for filmmakers in 2024 are:

• No. 1 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• No. 2 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
• No. 3 – New Orleans, Louisiana
• No. 4 – Austin, Texas
• No. 5 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• No. 6 – Atlanta, Georgia
• No. 7 – Miami, Florida
• No. 8 – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
• No. 10 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada