More than 100 supporters of the Pennsylvania film tax credit packed a conference room at the David Lawrence Convention Center yesterday wearing white T-shirts with the phrase "Save the Pa. Film Tax Credit."

They were there for a standing-room-only public hearing by the state House committee on Tourism and Recreational Development, whose chairman, Thaddeus Kirkland, D-Delaware, showed his support by donning one of the supporters' T-shirts.

The event was a pep rally for the film tax-credit program, which is included in Gov. Ed Rendell's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. A state budget passed by the Republican-controlled Senate would eliminate the state film office, which manages the tax credit program.

The current film tax credit, enacted in 2007 and capped at $75 million annually, gives production companies a 25 percent tax credit if they spend at least 60 percent of a film's budget in Pennsylvania.

Testimonials by a filmmaker, hotel director of sales, union representatives and a college student who has worked in the film industry were met with almost unanimous support from the 15 committee members present.

"If we don't support this, we're basically putting a closed sign on our door," said Rep. Dan Deasy, D-Westwood. Supporters contend that without a tax credit, filmmakers will take their projects to other states that offer such incentives.

A report released this week by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee said filmmaking in Pennsylvania results in a $40.3 million loss in tax revenue, but produces a $525 million economic impact, including $267 million in direct spending. The report also said the film industry generated $147 million in wages and created almost 4,000 jobs in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

"I would like to see that report and that data and maybe you can make a believer out of me as well," said Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams.

State Sen. Patricia Vance, R-Cumberland, a critic of the film tax credit program, has called for the program to be suspended for two years because of a looming $3 billion deficit in the state budget.

Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer noted that even with two projects filming locally this week -- the movie "Warriors" and a pilot for an FX TV series -- film workers raised money for their T-shirts and turned out en masse for yesterday's hearing.

"Today's turnout really exhibited for the first time in probably 15 years that we've had a complete unity and show of support across all sections of the film industry -- the unions, the small businesses -- all fighting for the same thing, which is the retention of the film tax credit," she said.