The economic downturn is being felt in the B.C. indigenous production industry, although domestic producers remain optimistic, using this slowdown to beef up development slates and strengthen U.S. and international relationships.

‘We recognize this will be a slower summer production-wise than last year, [mainly] because of the turmoil in the Canadian broadcast industry,’ says Paperny Films president David Paperny, noting that CBC indicated it cannot afford at this time to license a third season of their hit doc series The Week the Women Went.

‘We have great projects in front of a dozen broadcasters in late stages of development – that they have put their own money into – but for the most part they say they are in a financial pinch and are going to delay committing new money until summer or fall,’ adds Paperny.

Canadian dramatic TV series Defying Gravity (Fox TV Studios/Omni Film Productions) and a second season of green-screen-shot series Sanctuary (Sci-Fi Channel/The Movie Network) are currently in production in B.C. Stargate Universe, the latest installment in Sc-Fi’s Stargate franchise, is also shooting.

Getting a green light, particularly for a drama, is difficult right now, says Omni VP and exec producer Brian Hamilton.

‘There are such a small number of potential players and, even without factoring in the economic downturn, there is a lot of material in the pipeline because Canwest, CTV and CBC were busy last year saying ‘yes’ to a lot of projects,’ he explains. ‘So we are looking for money outside the usual suspects.

‘We have a project that has money from ProSieben Germany as the only broadcaster right now. All sorts of combinations and permutations are being explored,’ Hamilton adds.

Sanctuary’s second season features a new cast member, Vancouver’s Agam Darshi (Renegadepress.com, 49th and Main), as a swindler operative who joins forces with Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), the scientist who runs a sanctuary for a group of strange and terrifying beings.

‘This season we are widening the scope and scale of the visual effects and ramping up the editing style and look of the show,’ says creator/writer/exec producer Damian Kindler of the 10/10 Cancon series, which has sold to 50 countries.

Several Canadian features are shooting in the province, including the supernatural thriller Altitude, starring Vancouver native Jessica Lowndes (90210) as a rookie pilot who sets out on a weekend getaway with friends but gets lost in a violent storm.

Rob Merilees, formerly of Infinity Features, is producing Altitude through his new production company Foundation Features, along with Escape Factory’s Ian Birkett, who wrote the screenplay. Alliance is distributing in Canada and Arclight Films is handling foreign sales.

Merilees is also set to produce a new Bruce McDonald film called Lucky Hoe, about an 18-year-old Asian Catholic schoolgirl who has to fight to the death against other inmates in prison. The writer is Rebecca Russell. Financing is underway and they hope to shoot this summer.

Brightlight Pictures just wrapped production in South Africa on director Uwe Boll’s Darfur, an action-drama about North American journalists who assist villagers fighting off government-supported raiders. It stars Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), Billy Zane (The Hessen Affair) and Kristanna Loken (The L Word).

Brightlight’s Shawn Williamson says packaging independent features is difficult. ‘The foreign sales market – which financed 30% to 50% of an indie feature – has bottomed out, so that is a real challenge right now,’ he says.

Brightlight is in preproduction on Gunless, a western coproduced with Niv Fichman of Toronto’s Rhombus Media and written and directed by William Phillips (Foolproof, Treed Murray). Paul Gross is cast in the leading role of this fish-out-of-water tale about an American cowboy running from a posse who stumbles on a small Canadian town and is changed by the experience. The shoot will take place in the interior of B.C. E1 Entertainment is distributing.

Lifestyle, factual and doc series are a bright spot for the B.C. indigenous sector, keeping many Vancouver prodcos busy during these tough economic times.

Force Four Entertainment just got the go-ahead on a new 26 x 30 TVtropolis series, Six Degrees of TV, which looks at the unexpected connections between celebrities, creators and other people in the TV industry.

Force Four is also shooting Carbon Hunters for CBC’s Doc Zone, exploring the carbon trading industry, and a second season of TVtropolis series Tube Tales, about the inspiration behind hit TV shows.

‘We are looking at developing increasingly with American and Canadian partners from the get-go,’ explains Force Four partner John Ritchie. ‘Broadcasters are looking for higher-quality product for less money, and we have to find more cost-effective and creative ways to deliver that content.’

Omni Film Productions is shooting a one-hour doc series, Buffalo Air, for History Television, about a renegade airline that flies WWII-era propeller planes throughout the Canadian North, as well as additional seasons of Word Travels (OLN, National Geographic Adventure Channel) and Pure Design (HGTV Canada and U.S.). Omni has also shot the Slice pilot Love Knot, where couples at a turning point in their relationships are put through challenges.

Paperny Films is in production on the Food Network series Glutton for Punishment and Stagers for HGTV Canada/U.S. and editing new Food series 100 Mile Challenge.