Alberta film, tax credit attracts nearly $1B in productions

CALGARY – Alberta has attracted nearly $1 billion worth of productions to the province thanks to the Film and Tax Credit program, the province says.

Premier Jason Kenney, along with several other officials, made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

The province says since the Film and Tax Credit program’s launch in January 2020, 50 new productions have come to Alberta with total production costs of $955 million.

Those productions have created 9,000 jobs.

Here's the press release on the matter today. pic.twitter.com/wNxHdMnDNm

— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) August 3, 2021

“The boom in our film industry is the perfect example of Alberta’s Recovery Plan in action. Thanks to the Film and Television Tax Credit, and our recent improvements to it, we are witnessing a new billion-dollar industry take shape right before our eyes, further diversifying the economy and creating new jobs,” said Kenney.

Jobs Minister Doug Schwitzer went as far as to call Alberta the “new Hollywood.”

“Film productions like The Last of Us and Ghostbusters mean thousands of new jobs for rural Albertans both on and off set. With landscapes from the Rocky Mountains to the Prairies, Alberta is becoming a global hub for film,” said Nate Horner, Associate Minister of Rural Economic Development.

“New multimillion-dollar investments in the film industry are getting Albertans back to work and driving Alberta’s economic recovery. I look forward to seeing even more of Alberta on the big screen.”

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Recently, the Calgary union that represents film and TV workers in the city said production in Alberta is booming.

“The growth is driving us as a go-to production location,” explained IATSE 212  President Damian Petti in a previous interview with 660 NEWS.

“We’re starting to become a choice that people seriously consider.”

Petti says the tax credit has been a game-changer for driving production in the project.

“High-profile projects such as The Last of Us are a major driver of jobs, Alberta businesses and training. Projects like this benefit numerous industries ranging from fabric suppliers to companies in the hospitality industry. Alberta’s spectacular landscapes are being shared globally, elevating our economic standing in the global marketplace,” he added Tuesday.

Petti says the number of sound stages in the has grown from 50,000 square feet to 500,000 in a matter of six months.