Producer Dallas Austin honored as first recipient of Georgia Film Impact Award

Moviegoers who attended the Macon Film Festival were treated to a variety of workshops and films, but one event stood above the rest.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Moviegoers who attended the Macon Film Festival were treated to a variety of workshops and films, but one event stood above the rest.

Georgia native and award-winning music and film producer Dallas Austin was honored on Saturday with the first-ever Macon Film Festival Georgia Film Impact Award.

Having produced hit songs for artists like TLC, Madonna, and Boyz II Men, Austin is no stranger to accolades, but now, he is being recognized for his role in the Georgia film industry.

“For a long time Georgia’s been kind of overlooked, even in entertainment,” Austin said. “So by the time we started doing music, we started getting some light, then the same story needed to be told on the screen.”

According to Film Festival President Justin Andrews, the Georgia Film Impact Award is presented to industry professionals and community leaders who have directly impacted the Georgia film industry.

Andrews says Austin was selected for the award because of his involvement in passing the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act.

“(For) him being so instrumental behind all the tax credits that we receive here in Georgia and bringing in billions and billions of dollars of revenue for the state,” Andrew said.

The bill provides tax credit incentives for movies, TV shows and music videos filmed in the state, which Andrews says brings millions of dollars into Macon as well.

Austin’s contributions to the film industry don’t stop there. He’s also worked as a producer on the movies “Drumline” and “ATL” – movies the Georgia native says tell stories about perseverance.

“Growing up in Columbus, Georgia, which is really small and really just in the pit of everything, so to get to this point, it means the world to me,” he said.