Vancouver: Film commissions in Victoria, the Okanagan region and other b.c. regions may have to close their offices in the new year because of a lack of funding, says the Regional Film Commissions Association of b.c.

The association, founded in 1997, is lobbying the provincial government to provide foundation funding for the regional commissioners, which are currently and temporarily being funded through the federal Human Resources Development Corp. Victoria’s commission, for example, has survived the past year only through the donation of office space.

The funding for the regional commissions conflicts with the declarations by the provincial Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture to encourage production outside of the busy Greater Vancouver area, which will generate $1 billion in direct spending in 1999. The regional commissions are active in providing producers with information and assistance in bringing projects to their locales.

Mark Flett, the film commissioner for the Okanagan Film Commission, has been named president of the association, replacing Rino Elverhoy, who recently stepped down as the film commissioner for the Thompson-Nicola region.