The Save BC Film campaign was formed more than a year ago, as struggling industry workers lobbied for their livelihoods ahead of the spring election.
But now the advocacy group is fading to black, as film production in B.C. ramps up again and the group rethinks how to rally for their cause.
A Seth Rogen film shooting downtown is just one of two dozen separate productions in Vancouver this fall.
The recent upturn in business coincides with the disbanding of the “Save BC Film” campaign.
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Six months ago, it was a different story.
Major projects were opting to shoot elsewhere, lured by bigger tax breaks as much as 90 percent.
Save BC Film began as a Facebook page and quickly spread to the real world.
Wayne Bennett of the now disbanded Save BC Film campaign, says the campaign accomplished what it set out to do.
“We wanted to make people realize that the industry was failing and we were losing business to other countries. We accomplished what we needed to do: to educate the public and the government about the state of the industry. Now it’s time to work with the motion picture industry association and their program “We Create BC,” working together as one big lobby group to keep the industry here.
Tax credits for the movie business became a provincial election issue, after the Liberals were reelected, some felt Save BC Film was just too political.
The tax credits have never materialized, but productions have flocked back, and now the B.C. government seems willing to talk about options of keeping a lucrative tax base working in province.
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