TNRD Film Commission looking ahead to 2025 after slower than anticipated 2024

In 2022, the year before the Hollywood strikes, Hadwin said the film industry had about an $18-million economic spin-off in the Kamloops area. According to the B.C. government, the film industry in the province generated $2.7 billion in GDP in 2022 and $2 billion in 2023.

Hadwin told CFJC Today that there are a number of possible reasons why 2024 wasn’t as busy as initially expected.

“One of the reasons that I think is probably fairly accurate is that streaming platforms spent a lot of money creating amazing content during the COVID years,” Hadwin said.

“They were maybe spending more than that what they were recovering and they are maybe not creating as much or spending much on really really big projects right now, and they might be focusing on doing more smaller ones.”

One of the highlights of 2024, Hadwin said, was a movie called Lunar Sway, which she said was filmed entirely in the Kamloops area.

“That one is hopefully coming out later this fall,” she said. “That was a really great one that shot in our area.

She also said there were some vehicle commercials that were shot in the Kamloops area last year.

“We were able to track down a GMC Sierra truck commercial and they brought something like 300 crew people for that project,” Hadwin said. “That definitely was a big boost to to the economy.”

“There was also a Volvo commercial that was shot though that one hasn’t one yet been released.”

Kamloops film industry looking ahead to 2025

Hadwin told CFJC Today that she has been in touch with prospective productions in a bid to try and encourage them to film in the Kamloops area. She wasn’t able to provide any details though, citing confidentiality agreements.

“Some of them would be really, really quite substantial and then another one was really quite small,” Hadwin said. “We try to give everybody equal attention and love and opportunity and encourage them all to come shoot in the region.”

She also said the B.C. government’s decision to increase tax incentives for local and international film and TV projects is expected to bolster the Kamloops film industry.

“It definitely won’t hurt. Having a lucrative tax incentive is always a very strong conversation starter when you are talking to productions that are wanting to come into the area, so having that much stronger of a tax incentive is a beautiful thing,” Hadwin said in December.

“I am a super big fan of the tax incentives we have in British Columbia because they are all labour based, so they are tied to a person getting a job in film industry.”

No tariff impact expected

Hadwin also said the threat of U.S. tariffs isn’t expected to have much of an impact on Hollywood North as the B.C. film industry hopes for a better 2025.

“We’re not exporting any actual raw materials or produced materials. If anything, with the Canadian dollar being relatively low in comparison to the American dollar, its helping the film industry and its keeping people employed,” she said.

“It’s a good industry to have at this time when its not so affected by tariffs.”

by Victor Kaisar

TNRD Film Commission looking ahead to 2025 after slower than anticipated 2024

Kamloops film industry looking ahead to 2025

No tariff impact expected

This Week in Flyers

This Week in Flyers

Our Community