Several Saskatchewan filmmakers are pleased with the additional $8 million in financial assistance the provincial government has given their industry in its new budget.
© Jim Donovan
Several filmmakers have had to leave Saskatchewan over the past decade due to lack of financial support for their projects. (archives)
This support will be granted through a grant program called Creative Saskatchewan and will aim to finance film and television projects.
Now is the right time to invest in this industry as streaming services grow in popularity, says Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Laura Ross.
Regina filmmaker Layton Burton says the funding is good news after a difficult decade for the industry.
The director of the series Little Mosque on the PrairieZarqa Nawaz, says however that the Saskatchewan government will have to redouble its financial efforts if it wishes to attract more film projects to the province.
A difficult decade for lack of government assistance
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In 2012, the provincial government decided to end the tax credit for jobs in the film industry.
A decision that had been taken by the government of Brad Wall, because according to him, the cost of this aid was too high for the coffers of the province.
This tax credit was used to finance more than 55% of the workforce in the various productions.
According to Aboriginal filmmaker Louise BigEagle, the end of this funding has had a dramatic impact on the film industry in Saskatchewan.
According to a study by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce and Saskfilmthe film industry brought in more than $36 million annually to the province between 1998 and 2012.
However, in 2019, seven years after the end of the tax credit, the amount generated by this industry was only $17.2 million, according to Statistics Canada.
With information from Alexander Quon