After 10 years of politicking, posturing and false dawns, Toronto finally officially has a megastudio.

Phase one of Filmport, comprising seven state-of-the-art, soundproof soundstages, opened its doors Wednesday.

With Mayor David Miller and hometown director David Cronenberg at his side, Filmport president Ken Ferguson cut the ribbon on the eco-friendly studio complex built on a one-time Imperial Oil tank facility on the city’s portlands.

Ferguson, presiding over a vast audience of industry players and politicians, did little to disguise his delight, and relief, that Filmport and Toronto had finally got to the altar.

‘It feels like a wedding. There’s so much expectation. I’m nervous, but it’s a happy day and there’s so much to look forward to,’ he said before the launch ceremony got underway.

‘In these challenging times for the Toronto film industry, we needed a boost. We hope Filmport can play a role in putting Toronto where it belongs — back on top,’ Ferguson added during formal speeches.

Before it reaches that goal, Filmport will need tenants. Currently, it has George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead 2 renting production offices as the cult director shoots on location in Toronto.

But the continuing studio-Screen Actors Guild standoff stateside has put a halt to major studio sign-ups, beyond a few soft holds.

Filmport is in the running to host Universal Pictures’ Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on the book by Canadian novelist Bryan Lee O’Malley and set in Toronto.

But as a measure of just how hard Filmport needs to work to attract Hollywood movie shoots these days, New York City is also in the running to accommodate Scott Pilgrim, on the strength of its 35% tax credit.

Also putting a damper on Wednesday’s launch was news that Deluxe Entertainment Services Group is not expected to shift its post-production operations to Filmport as planned.

Ferguson said it was too early to declare Deluxe’s plans to build a signature 80,000-square-foot building at the Filmport gates dead. But sources indicate Deluxe will not relocate to the city’s portlands, as first announced last January.

For his part, Cronenberg said he will shoot one of his next projects at Filmport, after touring its spacious 46,500-square-foot mega-stage and declaring it state-of-the-art.

‘It’s now my Notre Dame, my cathedral, and I intend to worship there frequently,’ the director said.

City officials labeled Filmport the key to rejuvenating the city’s portlands and film industry.

‘Filmport will provide a huge boost to Toronto’s screen-based industries by creating opportunities for our highly skilled work force,’ Mayor Miller said.

‘This new project will also enhance the city’s international reputation and will help support a prosperous and creative Toronto,’ he added.

Paul Bronfman, chairman of the Comweb Group, which partnered with city property developer Rose Corporation to build Filmport, predicted the studio complex will take business for effects-heavy Hollywood film shoots away from Montreal, more than Vancouver.

‘In the long run, this will be a good business,’ he said.

Jeffrey Steiner, president and CEO of the Toronto Economic Development Corporation, which owns the land on which Filmport stands and gave the studio a 99-year lease on which to operate, said the initial purpose-built studio space and mega soundstages launched Wednesday were only a hint of future film and TV development nearby.

‘There’s more to come,’ he said at the ribbon-cutting event.

After the completion of phase one, Filmport is slated to house an eventual three million square feet of space for ancillary film and TV businesses, including post-production facilities, film schools, union and guild offices, and restaurants, shops and condos clustered around the studio complex.

Filmport projects around 2,000 people will eventually work on the studio lot, and another 4,000 will work in surrounding commercial buildings.