Lights, camera, back in action.
Manitoba’s television and film industry is gearing up for a busy summer season after being halted for nearly three months due to COVID-19.
“We are very busy at Manitoba Film and Music,” CEO Rachel Rusen said.
READ MORE: Manitoba film production poised to resume amid COVID-19 downturn, but cameras not rolling yet
Rusen said the organization has been getting calls of interest from producers in other provinces wanting to film in Manitoba. But it’s also seeing interest from major studios and producers overseas.
“Right now, we have six productions going into prep in the next week to several weeks,” she said. “We have three productions currently in production right now and we are continuing to do location packages and scouts, albeit some digitally.”
Rusen said it is too early to know how much of a financial impact the COVID-19 closure has had on the industry but said it recorded a total production volume of more than $270 million last year.
“(So) you can imagine we’ve been three months now shut down, what that does to a quarter of our revenue,” she said.
The television and film industry in Manitoba employs more than 2,000 people as cast, crew and industry support staff and roughly 45 per cent of its production is local.
Rusen said Manitoba’s industry was one of the last to stop in Canada due to the pandemic.
“Essentially, live-action came to an absolute halt. We needed to stop immediately,” Rusen said.
She said the group was able to wrap up shooting on a major action film right up until March 21 when most of Canada’s film industry had already closed up and now they are one of the first in the country to get the all-clear to resume.
“It’s one of the many segments of our economy that was decimated during the pandemic,” Economic Development Winnipeg president and CEO Dayna Spiring said.
“Now the opportunity in front of us is to go and make the most of the great job Manitobans have done in planking the curve.”
As part of the province’s second phase of economic reopening, film and television production was given the green light June 1 — at first, provincial regulations allowed productions to begin if the cast, employees and public stayed two metres apart, barring brief exchanges.
“Because we’ve done so well there’s going to be a great opportunity for us to be one of the leaders going forward,” Spiring said.
Out-of-province or country producers, casts and crews are slated to be allowed to enter Manitoba to work without having to self-isolate for 14 days in the province’s third reopening phase on June 21 — anyone landing in Canada would still need to self-isolate according to federal guidelines.
“We’ve been at a disadvantage because people have not wanted to come here and quarantine,” Spiring said.
“Provincially, we are going to open up to Western Canada slowly and we know there is a risk-reward equation we’ve got to do.”
Manitoba is the only province west of Quebec that has forced all travellers, even those from within Canada, to self-isolate for 14 days when they arrive in Manitoba. However, that restriction is expected to be lifted for western travellers on June 21.
“We are seeing Manitoba as a key choice destination,” Rusen said.
“We’re not densely populated, our COVID numbers are lower and life is resuming a little bit. We still maintain our focus is on safety. It’s not a race to be first. It’s a race to be first and safe.”
Comments