The Government of Saskatchewan has doubled down on its support for the local film sector, making an additional $7.5 million investment to the province’s production grant.

The new support from the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport for the Feature Film and TV Production Grant Program was announced by Creative Saskatchewan on Thursday (Oct. 20).

The additional funds will result in approximately $32 million in economic activity in the province, according to Creative Saskatchewan CEO Erin Dean in a statement.

The increase brings the grant’s total fiscal 2022/23 budget to $17.5 million, a sharp increase from the $2 million budget in the previous fiscal year. The grant program opened in May with an increased budget of $10 million, as well as a funding cap of $5 million — up from the previous $600,000 — and regional incentives for local producers, rural locations, and post-production services.

Creative Saskatchewan has already committed $10.5 million to 13 projects for the current fiscal year, including two drama series and a feature film, as well as documentaries and children’s series.

Among the projects is the series King of Killers, a coproduction between Saskatchewan’s Karma Film and Manitoba-based prodco Julijette, which is expected to bring in $20 million in economic spend to the province.

“Once we announced that Saskatchewan was open for business for film and television back in March, the phones started ringing off the hook,” said Dean. “It’s amazing to see local producers leveraging the opportunities presented in our programming in new ways, and to connect with new people and opportunities who may not have considered Saskatchewan as a film location before now.”

The government has not made any commitments to keep the $17.5 million budget on an annual basis, a spokesperson for Creative Saskatchewan tells Playback Daily, but says the government is “excited” about the potential impact for the remaining fiscal year, and the opportunities for the future.

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