Filming of “Believe” to begin this week, movie receives state incentives.

Harold Cronk

LANSING – Filming of the movie “Believe” will begin in Manistee later this week. The Michigan Film Office announced today that the movie has been approved for incentives from the state. The movie “Grain,” which will be filmed in Detroit, also received incentives.

“While these two projects tell very different stories, they both are tapping into the talented crew and iconic locations Michigan has to offer – from Detroit to the shores of Lake Michigan,” said Margaret O’Riley, director of the Michigan Film Office.

Believe will film on location in Manistee, Ludington, Scottville, Grand Rapids and Muskegon as well as at 10 West Studios in Manistee. The film is being directed by filmmaker Harold Cronk of Amber Township (“God’s Not Dead”, “The Adventures of Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Treasure”, “The Adventures of Mickey Matson and the Pirates Code”) and was awarded an incentive of $657,142 on $2,292,028 of projected in-state expenditures. The project is expected to hire 82 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of 10 jobs.

The faith-based film tells the story of a group of seemingly unrelated individuals whose lives collide in a series of events following one man’s decision to live his life.

“After reviewing a variety of filming locations, it’s the beauty and majesty of west Michigan’s diverse communities that really captured our imaginations,” Cronk said. “We couldn’t envision the project being made anywhere else.”

Grain will film in the city of Detroit at various emblematic and historic locations. It was awarded an incentive of $238,588 on $727,406 of projected in-state expenditures and is expected to hire 77 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of eight jobs.

The film is set in an indefinite near future, where the existence of sustainable life is threatened. Together, a genetics expert and a general chaos scientist join forces in the Dead Lands to find fresh seeds, changing everything they thought they knew in the process.

“We are proud and happy to be awarded a Michigan film incentive,” said Johannes Rexin, who is producing the project alongside Semih Kaplanoglu and Nadir Öperli. “Grain is a pure arthouse project designed as an international co-production with the aim of opening the film for a broader audience. We will shoot in English because we want to produce Grain as a unique film with universal texture and we are thankful to be welcomed in Pure Michigan and Detroit with its great tradition and history.”

In Fiscal Year 2014, 19 projects have been awarded $60,083,048 on $231,433,119 of approved production expenditures for the year. These projects are expected to create 1,685 hires with a full time equivalent of 1,226 jobs.

The Michigan Film Office was created in 1979 to assist and attract incoming production companies and promote the growth of Michigan’s own film industry. The Film Office also administers the incentive program for film, television and other digital media production in Michigan. For more on the Michigan Film Office, visit: MichiganFilmOffice.org.

Pure Michigan is a brand representing business, talent and tourism initiatives across Michigan. These efforts are driven by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which serves as the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business growth, jobs and opportunity with a focus on helping grow Michigan’s economy.

For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit: michiganbusiness.org. For Michigan travel news, updates and information, visit michigan.org.