24 TORONTO MARKET REPORT
N° 3873 du 30 août 2019© DR© DR© DR
Nunavut entered the Canadian Confederation twenty years ago, and so, a third
northern territory was added to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.).
The Confederation had not seen such a change in its borders in fifty years, after
Newfoundland was created. Coming from the eastern half of the Northwest
Territories and including most of the Arctic islands, Nunavut is 85% Inuit-
populated. The inhabitants want to find a balance between tradition and
modernity, in order to preserve their culture and their identity. The Department of
Economic Development and Transportation funds the Nunavut Film Development
Corporation. Nunavut Film promotes the territory as a destination for film
productions that provide opportunities for Nunavummiut to work in film,
television and new media. The agency offers the Nunavut Spend Incentive
Program, a rebate on costs of production and services purchased locally, with
added benefits for the employment and training of Nunavut residing, key creative
personnel. Movies such as Two Lovers and a Bear, Iqaluit and The Grizzlies were
recently filmed in the territory. NFDC received a total of 19 applications for a total
of $586,760.50 in requests. A total of $462,781 was distributed. F.- P. P.- L.Filming in Canada: The location guide
The Laurentians: 550 productions in 20 years
What do Xavier Dolan’s new film, Matthias and Maxime, Quebec’s first Original
Netflix, until the decline of French films like Fatal or American super-productions
like Jack Ryan, X-Men’s Dark Phoenix or Get Smart have in common? These feature
films were partly shot in the Laurentians (Les Laurentides in French), a territory that
is part of the great Saint Lawrence River. An hour and a half drive from Montreal,
the administrative region of the Laurentians alternates mountains, plains and a
multitude of forests, lakes and rivers, at a stone’s throw from Quebec city, with
highlights including a ski resort famous worldwide, Mont-Tremblant. Local film
commission Film Laurentides is spread over a territory which counts only
80 municipalities and seven regional county municipalities. In this very vast but
sparsely populated area (over 500,000 inhabitants), nature is the star. Since the
creation, twenty years ago, of the Film Commission, which has only recently
become Film Laurentides (also known as the Laurentians Film and Television
Commission), the region has hosted nearly 550 productions. Among the free tools
made available to them, a digital photo library dedicated to the region’s locations,
gathering 107,000 regularly updated photos, and a customized coaching service for
the teams in scouting and filming. F.- P. P.- L.Alberta is the westernmost of Canada’s three Prairie provinces. The Rocky
Mountains form the southern portion of Alberta’s western boundary with British
Columbia. This area varies from the flatland of old lake bottoms to a rolling
landscape with numerous lakes and depressions. Alberta Film is Alberta’s screen-
based production industry agency, sharing and promoting a cornucopia of
landscapes and unspoilt lands. The Screen-Based Production Grant (SPG) supports
the creation of film and television productions in Alberta. It offers up to 30% of
eligible production expenditures made in the territory as well as a potential
increase in the $5 million per-project cap of up to $7.5 million in funding per
project. Applications are evaluated through a competitive process that awards
points based on economic or cultural criteria such as job creation, the use of
Alberta cast and crews, the use of Alberta infrastructure such as the Calgary Film
Centre, diversity, and the use of Alberta subject matter. Alberta’s screen-based
production industry directly employs approximately 3,000 Albertans, with many
more being impacted by production-induced spending such as hotels, caterers and
lumber companies. In the past 15 years, the province has had more Oscar, Emmy
and Golden Globe wins than any other region in Canada. The Bourne
Legacy, Inception, Interstellar and Brokeback Mountain are some of the big
Hollywood titles that were shot there. F.- P. P.- L.Quebec is the largest of the ten Canadian provinces and is located in the north-east
corner of the North American continent. Montreal is its largest city, and comes second
in Canada. With a rich cultural and production tradition, Quebec also offers some of the
most advantageous cash rebates available in North America: 20% cash-back on all
expenses, and one of 16% for labour-based computer-aided special effects and
animation, as well as for scenes shot in front of a chroma-key screen activities. The tax
credit is based on all expenditures and the producer is not requested to release the film
in Quebec. Montreal is considered to be the cradle of film production in Canada.
Its urban heritage and architectural diversity serves as the ideal backdrop to depict
North American or European scenes. With approximately 35,000 direct industry jobs,
500 production and distribution companies and more than 600 films shot each year
in Montreal, the audiovisual sector is a major force. More than 50 film studios are also
located there, including one of the largest in North America, Studio H at Mel’s Cité
du Cinéma, as well as several television studios. With almost 40 visual-effects and
animation companies, Montreal is also one of the world’s largest postproduction hubs.
To top it all, the production sector can rely on a highly qualified workforce. Quebec
counts up to 10,000 skilled set workers in physical production and close to 4,000 2D and
3D animation and VFX specialists. F.- P. P.- L.© MICHAEL STUDINGER
Alberta: The Oscars province
Nunavut : Canada’s youngest territory Quebec and Montreal: Unique advantages