“We are here because there weren’t a lot of opportunities around the country and particularly in California,” she said. “So for my friends in California, and California government: This is how you do it.”

The Rhode Island Film & Television Office uses motion picture production film tax credits to try to bring film crews to Rhode Island, and state officials said the “Ella McCay” production will create jobs, bolster tourism, and shine a big spotlight on the smallest state.

“If you don’t want us to leave and go to places like Rhode Island, then you have to create tax incentives for the people in California, or we are going to come here, every time,” Curtis said.

Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, said filming will begin Monday, taking part mostly in Providence but in other parts of the state as well. Film crews will be here through March or April, he said.

The production will result in an estimated 300 full-time jobs and 500 part-time jobs, and the production will result in “spending million of dollars on the ground in Rhode Island,” Feinberg said.

The film credit is for 30 percent of state-certified production costs that can be directly attributed to activity within the state. The film or television production needs to be shot primarily in Rhode Island, meaning that 51 percent of principal photography must take place in the state. A minimum of $100,000 needs to be spent on the ground in Rhode Island.

In 2022, the Rhode Island Office of Revenue Analysis issued a report saying the state’s tax credit program fails to break even, its goals are “vague,” and data reporting requirements “lead to inconsistent and unreliable data on program performance.”

But Feinberg has strongly disagreed, saying the report contained “miscalculations” and “omissions.” He noted Industrial Economics, a company based in Cambridge, Mass., produced a report in 2022 saying every $1 in film tax credits generated $5.44 in economic activity, and that the benefit extended to nearly every city and town in the state.

During Thursday’s event in the State Room, Governor Daniel J. McKee emphasized the economic impact of the film.

“The whole strategy for us is putting people to work in good-paying jobs,” he said. “In this case, a number of the trades are going to be working on this project with you, and I think you will see second to none. I think you are going to be really, really pleased with what workers will be able to do.”

McKee, a Democrat who previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor, noted “Ella McCay” is a film about a lieutenant governor who becomes a governor.

The 20th Century Studios production tells the story of an “idealistic young politician” named Ella McCay, who will be played Mackey (known for her rolls in “Barbie” and “Death on the Nile.”) The title character juggles family issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over for her mentor, California’s long-time governor, who will be played by Albert Brooks (known for “Broadcast News” and “Lost in America.”)

“This is a movie about ideas — politics, politicians, government,” Curtis said. “America is about ideas, and this is a movie about big ideas and people dreaming for the betterment for other people.”

Curtis said she’d given the cast and crew mugs emblazoned with a quote from the movie: “Government works best when citizens stay interested because, as has been said, if you don’t know what you want, you will probably get what someone else wants. Let’s get started.”

Brooks — the director, writer and producer whose credits include “Taxi,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “The Simpsons” — also spoke in the State Room, saying, “What I need is for this film to represent America in sort of the best sense possible. We looked at a lot of places, and I’m so glad we are here. We feel it every day. Everybody who goes out and is in this city just appreciates the graciousness of it and how much we’ve been welcomed.”

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, noted Rhode Island has also hosted film crews in Newport for the HBO series “The Gilded Age” and in Lincoln and Providence for the film “Hocus Pocus 2.” And he said he has backed the Rhode Island Film & Television Office and the film tax credits since he became speaker three years ago.

“Because it’s not just showing off our great state,” Shekarchi said. “The film industry is a revenue generator, and also people want to visit our state when they see the great locations on the big screen. It brings in more tourism dollars to our state.”

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma, a Middletown Democrat, also spoke, with Feinberg introducing him as “Taxi’s own Lou DiPalma.” DiPalma joked that he believes he is the tallest Lou DiPalma, surpassing Danny DeVito’s taxi dipatcher character, “Louie DiPalma.”

“This is a great day for Rhode Island,” DiPalma said. The film tax credit program has provided a clear “return on investment” over the years, he said, and it has helped to “put Rhode Island on the map.”

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.