Christmas has apparently come early for Alberta film and TV unions and guilds, as they welcome changes to that province’s Multimedia Development Fund to lure foreign producers to make movies and TV shows locally.

“Minister [Heather] Klimchuk has given our industry a long awaited gift this holiday season. Changes to the AMDF guidelines will revitalize our industry and get our cultural workers back to work, in front of and behind the camera,” Tina Alford, Alberta branch representative for ACTRA, said in a statement Monday.

Alford, who is also chair of the Alberta Association of Motion Picture and Television Unions, made the comments after the province streamlined guidelines and increased the percentages of direct grants available to indie producers from the Multimedia Development Fund.

The major change is making direct grants available through two streams, rather than the previous three, to juice the incentives on offer to producers.

Under the old regime, producers could receive direct grants from three streams: projects with 51% or more Alberta control, equal or minority Alberta control from 11% to 50%, and a grant for zero to 10% local control.

Alberta has now shifted to two streams, one for indigenous and coproductions, and a second for foreign-controlled or service productions.

I.A.T.S.E local 212 president Damian Petti said the changes to Alberta’s film and TV production incentive program follows extensive industry consultation.

“I look forward to the positive affect these changes will have on our production community,” Petti said in his own statement.

Photo: tao_zhyn / Flickr Creative Commons