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Will tax-credit hikes hurt the Prairies?
IN the past few years, high tax credits and incentives in the Prairie provinces, coupled with relatively low tax credits in major production centers, have helped regional producers to build film and television industries in Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Calgary. However, recent tax-credit hikes have made Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia more competitive and may be enough to lure production back to the centers.
Sask booms with local & guest productions
Over the last two years, Saskatchewan’s film and television industry has grown significantly, with production volumes up 58% in 2004 over 2003.
Manitoba’s tax credit still on top
Tax-credit hikes in neighboring Ontario, as well as in B.C. and Quebec, may have kept important coproducing partners away from Manitoba, but that problem has possibly been averted by a recent tax-credit hike of 10% in the province.
Alberta stakeholders want increased incentives
While other provinces are upping tax credits, some in Alberta’s production community are pushing for different ways of attracting bigger productions.
On the road with Arthur Kent
Toronto: Having sent crews to Costa Rica, Mexico, Rome, Australia and other exotic ports of call for her teen travel series Get Outta Town!, producer Debbie Nightingale is, for her next big project, looking to go somewhere a little less hospitable, and is planning a trip to Afghanistan next summer to shoot the story of newsman Arthur Kent.
Service
Oh, the horror
Docs
Rock the docs
Montreal fest war heats up
Montreal: A wave of resignations, bitter press releases, counter press releases, a lawsuit, and a number of severely bruised egos have, in recent weeks, turned this city’s quest for a new film festival into a three-way war, further muddying the already murky future of the Montreal festival scene even as its newest entry, the Montreal International Film Festival, unveiled its starting lineup of programmers and board of directors.
NHL game over – time for Plan B
With the NHL hockey season officially on ice, Canadian sports broadcasters are turning to Swedish hockey, vintage games, NASCAR, the NBA and any number of other tricks to stem the loss of ad dollars and to round out schedules that, for this year and perhaps next, have been left vacant by intractable hockey players and team owners.
New B.C. shoots unconfirmed
Vancouver: On Feb. 11, B.C.’s Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development issued a self-congratulatory release about new business generated by the boosting of the service and domestic tax credits, announced on Jan. 20.
Mémoires affectives Prix Jutra’s big winner
The seventh Soirée des Jutra was a huge coup for Francis Leclerc’s Mémoires affectives. The intimate auteur film produced by Barbara Shrier of Montreal’s Palomar Films won four of its five nominations at the Quebec film awards, including best film, best director, best picture editing and best actor for lead Roy Dupuis.
CRTC short, and getting shorter
With six out of the 13 commissioner spots at the CRTC now vacant, some for more than two years, industry-watchers are starting to wonder if the short-handed federal regulator will be able to keep up with its workload and when, or if, the Prime Minister’s Office will get around to hiring some new blood.
Man of the Hour
Richard Chevolleau took best male performance for his guest spot on The Eleventh Hour, at ACTRA Toronto’s annual awards ceremony held
Stursberg puts drama at top of the Ceeb’s agenda
Richard Stursberg, CBC’s executive VP in charge of English television, has put drama at the center of his mandate to reform the national broadcaster. But to make significant inroads, he’ll need money, and lots of it.
BGM, Rogers plan 4,000 hours of Olympic coverage
Bell Globemedia and Rogers Media have revealed some of their plans for covering the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, promising round-the-clock English and French coverage of the Summer and Winter Games, totaling some 4,000 hours, while also making good on an offer to share coverage with Radio-Canada.
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