To bolster B.C.’s struggling domestic film industry, the Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC (MPPIA) has launched a new project to expand international marketing and build partnerships with China, India and the United States.
“If everything works out, we’ll see a consistent flow of work and new relationship-building coming to B.C., creating more jobs here and just opening up more opportunities in the international markets like Asia,” said MPPIA chairman Peter Leitch.
“We’re hoping it will lead to more of a sustainable, B.C.-based industry.”
Leitch said the service side of B.C.’s film industry, which provides crews and casts to American companies producing locally, is healthy and hasn’t been harmed by the recent recession, despite the strength of the Canadian dollar compared with the American greenback.
But he said the recession has been another blow to a domestic industry that’s been declining for the past five years in the face of diminishing demand from Canadian broadcasters for B.C.-produced shows.
“Broadcasters have a myriad of choices,” he said, noting that the rise of reality TV plus competition from Canadian jurisdictions such as Toronto with more advantageous tax regimes have hurt the B.C.-based film industry.
But with a new $510,000 federal grant, Leitch said the MPPIA is looking to reverse that slowdown and build up domestic film production – which accounts for only 20% of the local film industry.
The grant money will enable MPPIA to develop marketing materials, an information-sharing database and its website to raise the industry’s profile abroad. Leitch said the money will also fund trade missions to the United States, Europe and Asia.
Partnerships in other countries would allow B.C. producers to co-produce shows with international companies and launch into those marketplaces.
Leitch pointed to Hong Kong, India and China as huge market opportunities.
But he said the new project is also looking to help B.C. film producers build partnerships with their American counterparts.
Jayme Pfahl, president of B.C.-based feature film and television company Gang of 2, said the MPPIA’s new marketing project is good news in a difficult landscape.
“Most of the companies are pretty small in B.C., so any help that we can get is great, obviously.”
He added that the MPPIA’s focus on enabling partnerships is key in the current climate.
“Because budgets are tighter and everything has diversified so greatly across the board, you need more and more partners to make [projects] happen.”