Vice President Biden, Secretary Kerry, Tina Fey & Lorne Michaels Join Paramount and MPAA for Screening of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”

Last night, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Paramount Pictures hosted a screening of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot before a Washington, D.C. audience that included Vice President Joseph Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, among other elected officials and special guests. The film stars Tina Fey and was shot in New Mexico.

The event featured opening remarks by MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd and Viacom Executive Vice President of Global Government Affairs DeDe Lea, followed by a Q&A with the film’s star, Tina Fey, producer Lorne Michaels, and screenwriter Robert Carlock. The screening took place at the United States Navy Memorial’s Burke Theater.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is based on the true story of Kim Barker, an American journalist that reported from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 2000s. The evening’s discussion focused on wartime journalism, the creative process behind bringing Barker’s true story to screen, and how and why filmmakers chose to base the production in New Mexico.

On the decision to film in New Mexico, Fey cited the mountainous desert terrain, access to the Kirtland Air Force base, and the state’s film tax credit program.

“For us, the terrain matching well was great. And there are tax credits for our industry in New Mexico,” said Fey. “We were also very generously given access to Kirtland Airforce Base…. It was a perfect combination that made the movie possible.”

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot spent more than $16.6 million in New Mexico, including $924,000 on lodging, over $500,000 on transportation, and more than $520,000 on catering, bakery goods, and other food items. The production team also hired 480 local cast and crew and over 1,640 local extras.

The film opens wide on Friday, March 4.

Photo Credit: Kris Connor/Paramount Pictures