Saskatchewan creatives including Lloydminster may now apply for the Feature Film and Television Production Grant.
“It’s a massive investment into film and television production in Saskatchewan.”
Megan Jane, Manager of Marketing and Communications with Creative Saskatchewan is sharing the excitement for the future prospect of the industry.
The grant was recently raised from $2 million to $10 million in the Saskatchewan budget. Jane sees the potential as creatives prepare to recalibrate their lens.
“It means bright days ahead and we are really excited. We now have the new problem of course of making sure we can train all of our crew to be ready for all of the new work. So we have launched a custom-made program with the National Screen Institute of Canada.”
With the increased funding, the Film and Television Production Grant now includes several incentive bonuses. The base incentive is either 25 per cent or 30 per cent of eligible Saskatchewan expenditures, dependending on the level of Saskatchewan-based ownership of the project.
Applicants may be eligible for additional bonuses including a 10 per cent frequent filming bonus for producing three or more projects in the year, a 5 per cent rural bonus for production 50 kms outside of Regina or Saskatoon, and a 5 per cent Saskatchewan post-production bonus, according to Creative Saskatchewan.
Aspects like the rural bonus and post-production input apply to areas like Lloydminster notes Jane.
Grant guidelines and application dates for the year can be found on the Creative Saskatchewan website.
Jane says the deadline to apply for the training programs is May 12th.
“There’s no cost for applying or participating in that training program. So that’s a really valuable opportunity for folks looking to level-up in their skills.”
She adds that the training aspect is not contingent on grant applications.
Application details for the film and television production training with the National Screen Institute and Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association or SMPIA are on the National Screen Institute webpage.