New funding for film and television projects is attracting Saskatchewan filmmakers, but barriers remain following the removal of the film tax credit in 2014.
Sask. Filmmaker Aaron Sinclair received funding from Creative Saskatchewan for his feature film, the wild which is currently in post-production.
“I think I applied in the fall of 2019 and it was approved,” Sinclair said. “Not long after… six or eight weeks after I applied, and the funding was 50 percent of my budget. So I had to find the other 50 percent to finalize that grant. That second half took longer than the grant because you have to try to find private funding or other grants and things like that. So that part is a little more challenging.”
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It can be difficult for first-time filmmakers to find funding and access other grants, he said.
“When you’re a first-time filmmaker, it’s quite challenging to find financing,” Sinclair said. “I’ve done some shorts, I’ve done some music videos, but I haven’t done anything that’s lasted that long. So I really had no proof that I could do it. So it’s hard to find funding that way. The other government grants that are like federal are pretty competitive, and I don’t see a lot of filmmakers like the ones in Saskatchewan really being able to get them.”
Creative Saskatchewan is a government agency that administers grant funding to the creative sectors, including film and television; music; live performing arts, including theater, crafts, visual arts; and digital, which is primarily game theater and e-learning.
“Our goal is to manage the program efficiently so that producers access the feature and television production fund with relative ease and without a lot of red tape,” said Tobi Lampard, lead liaison for film and television production at Creative Saskatchewan.
In its 2022-23 budget, the Saskatchewan government increased its funding in the Creative Saskatchewan Production Grants Program for film and television from $2 million to $10 million.
The government hopes to attract Saskatchewan-made films on a large scale and rebuild the industry that collapsed when the Wall government cut the film tax credit in 2014.
Lampard said the $8 million raise is already starting to pay off.
“We’re going to see some really big hits this year with this new injection into the film and TV schedule,” Lampard said.
“It will lead to jobs in film production and post-production. It will give filmmakers the opportunity to work with larger production budgets. And also, our goal is to have a stable job for the crews so that people have good paying jobs and stable and sustainable employment throughout the year.”
There are currently no statistics on how many new films funding is attracting, as the increase is still in its infancy, according to Lampard.
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“An increase in funding always means more job opportunities,” Sinclair said. “For creators who can access funding directly, it means more original movies and content coming out of Saskatchewan. Being able to bring your script to production is always a dream come true, especially for young filmmakers.”
However, funding is not the only way to help build the local film industry.
“Any financial support is great, but even simple interest is great,” Sinclair said. “Like going out to see a Saskatchewan movie or trying to find a way to, you know, share it on social media or something. All of that really helps. So. I think it just takes some enthusiasm for what we’re doing.”
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