New Boom in B.C. Productions

February 20, 2003

After a weak 2001 and a weaker 2002, B.C. Film productions look poised to break records in 2003.Currently there are 30 feature films, TV Movies of the Week and TV series being produced in B.C., up from a high of 20 concurrent productions last year. These include several big-budget productions such as: Elf with Will Ferrell; I, Robot with Will Smith; Paycheck with Ben Afleck; Miracles with Kurt Russell and Scary Movie 3 with almost no one from the first two movies.

And more good news was announced when the Canadian Federal Government unveiled their latest budget. Foreign film and television producers will now be reimbursed 16% of eligible Canadian labor costs, up from 11% in the previous budget. This will surely help the B.C. Film Industry, just as surely as it will be attacked by U.S. Film Lobbyists battling against the scourge of ‘Runaway Production.’

However, these attacks seem to miss the point. By treating all films that shoot outside the U.S. as ‘runaways’ it implies that the U.S. has some sort of Manifest Destiny to all film production. This has led to a loss of competitive edge, which has driven away some film production.

For a complete list of film production in B.C. visit B.C. Film Commission.

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Source: Screen Daily