Nova Scotia’s provincial government has increased its investment in the local film and TV sector in a move stakeholders are calling “the show of confidence our industry has needed.”

Premier Tim Houston announced that the government will provide $8 million to build a permanent soundstage in Nova Scotia and $15 million to create a five-year fund for local productions, totalling $23 million in overall funding.

The 50,000-square-foot soundstage is expected to cost $20 million overall, aided by additional funding from private investment and other partners, with local film commission Screen Nova Scotia leading its development. The soundstage will likely be in the Halifax regional municipality, according to Screen Nova Scotia, noting that it will issue a request for proposal from private sector partners to provide investment and oversee construction.

The not-for-profit organization will also be in charge of administering the Nova Scotia Content Creator Fund. The program offers additional funding to Nova Scotia-owned productions to better support local directors, writers and performers.

The province is also looking to attract more foreign service productions. Houston and representatives from Screen Nova Scotia will travel to L.A. from March 12 to 16 to meet with U.S. studios such as Disney, Netflix and NBC Universal.

“These investments are proof that Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic region in general, are great places to shoot film and television,” said DGC Atlantic chair Sarah MacLeod in a statement. “This is the show of confidence our industry has needed at the provincial level to give our members a chance to showcase their talents to the world and attract new productions to our province.”

Nova Scotia’s film and TV sector has been on the upswing in recent years after its tax credit was replaced with the production incentive fund. According to the provincial government, the film sector contributed $180.8 million to the local economy in 2021/22, roughly doubling its impact from 2020/21, which contributed $91.6 million. The incentive allocated $47.6 million in financial support across 82 projects in 2021/22.

Some of the more high profile projects to film in the province in recent years include CBC dramas Diggstown and Moonshine (pictured), as well as Epix series Chapelwaite and the Oscar-nominated film The Lighthouse.

“This investment marks an exciting and pivotal moment in time for our sector,” said Screen Nova Scotia executive director Laura Mackenzie. “While our industry has worked hard to build back production volume in Nova Scotia over the past seven years, a soundstage and a content creator fund are two critical pieces of infrastructure that will propel us towards our full growth potential.”

Image courtesy of CBC