Actor Ewan McGregor name-dropping Calgary at the Golden Globe Awards may help keep the momentum going in the city’s film industry.
While accepting the award for best actor in a TV mini-series for his part in Fargo — shot in Calgary — McGregor described the production crews in the city as “amazing.”
Watching on Sunday night was the president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees local in Calgary, Damian Petti.
“I think a lot of Calgarians don’t realize how much production activity there is in Calgary,” he said. “So when a major announcement gets made at the Golden Globes, people say, ‘Wow we’re actually a player in this industry.’”
Petti said 2017 was one of the best years ever for Calgary television and film productions, attributing some of that success to the new Calgary Film Centre, which opened in 2016.
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Petti also said new financial incentives announced by the province will attract more, larger-budget projects in 2018.
“We have a good base to build on and we have a number of producers looking at bringing projects in, so we’re preparing for growth,” Petti said.
The president of Calgary Economic Development, Mary Moran, said the shout out supports her efforts to get more overseas business for the centre.
“Our film commissioner is in China right now and we’ve also spent time in Paris and spent time in Berlin to try and attract some international film production here,” Moran said.
Looking ahead, Fargo will have a fourth season, but Petti said there has not yet been an official announcement on whether it will be shot in Calgary again.
Two TV projects are currently in pre-production in Calgary; season 2 of the British series Tin Star and season 3 of Wynonna Earp on SyFi.
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