Montreal: Direct spending on film and tv production in Montreal in ’99 increased 5% over the previous year to $725.4 million, according to preliminary figures from the Montreal Film & TV Commission.

Foreign production, primarily u.s. studio action, increased 6% last year to $213.4 million while direct spending on Canadian production stood at $512 million.

City of Montreal film commissioner Andre Lafond says the 5% growth in ’99 is low compared to the 20% average annual growth of the past five years.

In response, Montreal has doubled Lafond’s promotional budget to more than $300,000, a part of which will be used by Lafond for a March 21-23 mobile (promotional) tour of various Hollywood studios, including wb and Disney.

u.s. location shoots in Quebec in ’99 include Battlefield Earth and The Whole Nine Yards, both distributed by Warner Bros., and the tv miniseries Gabriel’s Run (Turner) and The Great Gatsby (Granada/A&E). New movie preps include the Eddie Murphy vehicle Pluto Nash (wb) and The Score, a feature with Mandalay Pictures participation, starring Robert DeNiro.

Lafond says a new John Travolta project is also a possibility.

Leo Rice-Barker