Take two for Hollywood North
‘Back On Radar’; Toronto’s film industry making comeback
Cassandra Jowett, National Post
Published: Thursday, March 05, 2009
Toronto’s moribund film industry is showing signs of life, with more than 20 film and television projects under production, including several Hollywood movies.
After a dismal 2008, which saw a 72% decline in U. S. production spending from $286.6-million in 2007 to only $79.4-million, and a 23% decrease in overall production, industry players say they are cautiously optimistic.
There were 21 productions under way last week across the city, more than double the nine productions under way at the time last year.
“Toronto is definitely back on the radar in Los Angeles. Everybody wants to come back … to Toronto,” said Paul Bronfman, chairman and CEO of Comweb Group, a film services firm, and a shareholder of the new Filmport production complex.
Credit is going to a variety of factors: the declining value of the Canadian dollar, the city’s aggressive push for business — Mayor David Miller went on a trade mission to Hollywood in January — and an end to tax credits in competing jurisdictions.
“Now with the combination [of ] the weak Canadian dollar versus the American dollar, and also the incentives the province and the country afford, it’s a good deal,” said leading Toronto producer Ivan Reitman, who is producing Chloe, currently being filmed here. ”That combined with an extraordinary talent pool in terms of local actors and a great number of top-notch crews makes this an ideal place to shoot.”
Among the other productions under way in the city: horror movie sequel Saw VI, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World starring Michael Cera.
Much of the big-ticket work is being done at Filmport, the city’s massive new $275-million, 1.6-million-square-foot production facility in the Port lands.
Although the state-of-the-art complex sat practically empty for months after it first opened in August, Filmport president Ken Ferguson said, with the exception of the 45,900 square foot mega-stage, the largest of its kind in North America, Filmport’s facilities are now booked.
“We’re certainly feeling quite confident that this is actually going to be a good year for Toronto,” said Mr. Ferguson. “It seems the worst has already hit us in the film and television industry in Ontario.”
Three feature films, including Mr. Reitman’s Chloe, directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson, three television series, including NBC/Universal’s new show Warehouse 13, and four pilots from ABC/Disney, Fox and CBS/Paramount are in production at Filmport, as well as a Hallmark movie-of-the-week and a series of short films.
There is a long way to go to return to the Toronto industry’s boom times: U. S. production spending in Toronto was three to more than five times higher in 2004 and 2005 than in 2008. But the industry is proving recession-proof: Box office receipts in Canada and the United States are up 23% over this time last year.
Brian Topp, executive director of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) Toronto, attributes the increase in U. S. productions to the stability of tax credits in Ontario compared to the rest of North America. The province announced on Feb. 20 it is proposing to make permanent its current film and television tax credit rates: 35% for domestic productions and 25% for foreign.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s nearest major competitor, New York, burned through the $460-million it set aside for film and television tax credits through 2013 in less than a year. If extra funding is granted, tax credit rates may be reduced and funding could be capped at $100-million per year.
“There’s no question that Ontario’s looking pretty good in a world in which a number of U. S. states have abruptly ended their tax credit systems,” Mr. Topp said. “Everybody in the industry has noticed a very significant uptick in scouting and contact from U. S.-based producers.”
Mayor Miller said Toronto competes well against jurisdictions that still offer lucrative tax credits.
“They don’t have the proven record of being a strong place to shoot. We have Filmport now … we have labour peace, and we’re a low-cost destination with stable tax credits and a low dollar. Hollywood understands that Toronto is a centre of excellence.”
While in Los Angeles in January, Mayor Miller met with major Hollywood studios and producers, as well as independents, to drum up business for Toronto.
He and his team also hosted a dinner for former Canadians now working in Hollywood, including Paul Haggis, David Shore and Mr. Reitman, to ask them to be ambassadors for Toronto.
Peter Finestone, Toronto’s film commissioner, said the city is continuing to promote Toronto to Hollywood by sending out regular e-mail updates to production companies and executives.
“We let them know when the Canadian dollar got to 80ยข. We let them know the decision by the provincial government that the tax credits were now permanent. We’ve been a bit more assertive letting our clients know what’s going on here.”