B.C. creators and producers are set to receive some government help, aimed at getting projects off the ground, with new funding announced for the motion picture industry.
In a press release issued on Monday, the province announced an investment of $2 million in order to launch the new Domestic Motion Picture Fund.
“The past few months have shown us how quickly the motion picture industry can change,” said Premier John Horgan. “This new fund will help B.C.’s domestic film industry create new content so it can recover faster and get thousands of skilled workers involved in film and TV production back on set.”
The initiative is part of the COVID-19 Action Plan relief funding and the government says that it is the first dedicated funding since 2003 towards the production phase of domestic content creation in B.C.’s motion picture sector.
Province-based production companies can apply for support to “turn their ideas into finished products,” the government said, including things like feature films, TV shows, series, documentaries and animated content.
The fund will help local production companies attract investment and leverage federal funding for both development and production aspects. This includes research, concept development, scriptwriting, and costs such as crew hiring and equipment rentals.
“We want to see more made-in-B.C. content on our screens,” said Lisa Beare, minister of tourism, arts and culture. “This fund will create local jobs, support a more resilient motion picture industry and allow local producers to better compete with national and international productions.”
The funds will be administered through Creative BC as part of the Reel Focus BC program, a suite of supports available to the domestic production sector.
“This program will help our local creators seize the opportunity to supply an increasingly demanding marketplace with made-in-B.C. content,” said Prem Gill, chief executive officer of Creative BC.
More information about the program can be found here: https://www.creativebc.com/
Graham Cox
