Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women Tanya Fir is set to visit Hollywood later this week, to promote Alberta as a premiere destination for film studios and productions.
The minister is set to meet with HBO, along with other major studios, on Jan. 11, during a three day round-trip to L.A.
She said that the goal is to highlight what Alberta can do for the film industry while highlighting success stories from recent and award-winning productions like HBO’s The Last of Us, Disney’s Prey, and Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys.
“Alberta’s government is proud of our talented and growing film and television industry, and we want to keep the momentum going for years to come. We want producers around the world to know about our competitive financial advantages, breathtaking locations, world-class studios and exceptional crews and talent,” Fir said in a prepared media release.
Among those incentives being discussed with studio executives are the Alberta Project/Script Development Grant, Alberta Made Production Grant, Post-Production Grant, Visual Effects and Digital Animation Grant, and Alberta’s Film and Television Tax Credit.
In a statement provided to LWC by a spokesperson for Minister Fir, they said that the minister would also be promoting the natural landscape, world-class film crews, a full-service provincial film commission, and state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities, including Bow Valley College’s Entertainment Production Hub as other aspects to draw in big-ticket productions to the province.s
The Calgary International Film Festival’s Acting Executive Director Katherine Penhale praised the trip, saying they were looking forward to continuing to support Minister Fir in her efforts to bring productions to Alberta.
“Minister Fir has been instrumental in the boom of projects that have been brought to Alberta, which have had a direct impact on the content and profile of our festival, with events such as The Last of Us that we hosted in early 2023, and Heartland’s 250th episode premiere in September 2023,” said Penhale.
“Alberta is a world-class filming location, and we are so grateful for the support we receive as the largest and most influential film festival in Alberta and the Canadian Prairies region, providing our audiences with opportunities to see the best films from local creators and the hottest films from around the world.”
She said that the work to bring productions to Alberta has been important to the growth and sustainability of the film industry in the province, and that in turn has allowed for the festival to successfully bring creators to the festival’s annual CIFF Industry week.
“CIFF’s Industry Week has created a space for Alberta industry and creatives to connect with top talent from across the nation, and we’re committed to supporting local talent and highlighting the innovations and resources available to support screen media creators in the province,” Penhale said.
Minister Fir’s meetings are a result of a collaboration between the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Consulate, Edmonton Screen Industries office, Calgary Economic Development and the Canada Media Fund.
“Representatives and advocates for Calgary’s film and TV industry will be highlighting the region as a world-class destination to Hollywood’s screen production industry,” said Luke Azevedo, Calgary Film Commissioner and VP, Creative Industries and Operations for Calgary Economic Development.
“This trip is one way we showcase Calgary’s award-winning talent and crews, globally competitive incentives, infrastructure, world-renowned locations and, most importantly, our film-friendly environment to attract production from around the world.
In addition to Minister Fir, a ministerial staff member and a department staff member will also be travelling to L.A.
Expenses for the trip will be posted to www.alberta.ca/travel-expense-disclosure.
