WINNIPEG — Aboard the first direct flight from Winnipeg to Los Angeles today will be delegates from Manitoba on their way to pitch the province as the ideal location for Hollywood’s next big film.
Manitoba government officials, economic development partners, industry representatives, and Indigenous leaders are meeting with studio and production representatives to convince them to invest their dollars north of the border.
“This is an ideal time to highlight all of the new developments in our market including a new direct flight from Los Angeles to Winnipeg as well as new studio space that has opened this year,” said Rod Bruinooge, executive officer and film commissioner, Manitoba Film and Music.
“Last year, Manitoba had its most successful year with $365 million in production volume and with these new developments we see that number continuing to grow.”
Officials will be selling Manitoba’s Film and Video Production Tax Credit as one of the most competitive in North America, as well as the recent completion of the Big Sky Studios’ new state-of-the-art facility.
Last week, it was announced actors Emilia Jones and Zach Galifianakis will be in Winnipeg this month to shoot a feature film, being produced by locally-based Thundersnow Pictures.
According to ACTRA Manitoba, there are at least six productions currently shooting in the province, as well as more than a dozen that have already wrapped this year.
The Manitoba delegation and the Consul General of Canada to the United States will co-host an industry-focused reception to showcase Manitoba’s “competitive advantages and how the province is well positioned to work with Hollywood to produce blockbuster films and series,” the government said in a statement.
