Bob McLeod: Investments to Advance Film in the NWT

Ministers' Statements and Speeches

Mr. Speaker, the film sector offers extraordinary opportunities for NWT residents to share their stories, landscape, and talent across diverse audiences. 

Furthermore, the economic multipliers of film production are among the highest of all active industries in the NWT with seven jobs created for every million dollars spent.     

Through the implementation of action items from Take One: A Film Strategy and Action Plan for the NWT, we are working to fulfill the commitment made in our Mandate to further the skills and competencies of NWT film producers; to build infrastructure, assist below-the-line crew and support services, and help develop marketing and communications plans for films made in the NWT.

This is the work completed day in and day out by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment through the NWT Film Commission.

Since its inception, the NWT Film Commission has delivered funding and support to our local practitioners, assistance to visiting productions, location marketing, and is serving to raise the profile of NWT film locally, nationally, and around the world.

To enhance industry funding and work to attract guest productions, the NWT Film Commission introduced the Film Rebate Program in 2015. Three projects were approved in the program’s inaugural year and more applications are currently being reviewed for this year.

To increase the profile of our industry, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment provided SEED funding to filmmakers to showcase their work abroad and to the Dead North Film Festival to help expand their exposure across the circumpolar world.

To strengthen our local industry, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and its Film Commission division sponsored the Yellowknife International Film Festival, several Western Arctic Moving Pictures workshops, and numerous community-building events across the territory.

These are the types of investments and supports with which we are building our unique northern film sector.  Mr. Speaker, this last year has brought a number of notable highlights for our film industry and Commission.

We witnessed one of our own achieve international attention as Melaw Nakehk’o came to life on the silver screen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in The Revenant. Melaw’s performance brought near-unprecedented exposure to our film industry.  

Behind her performance, it was the NWT Film Commission that provided assistance to the casting agency whose open call resulted in her receiving the role.

We saw Pablo Saravanja and Jay Bulckaert; two of many talented directors in the territory, jet to France to screen their short film Conibear.  Jay and Pablo are always ambassadors for our film industry. They take leadership roles in festivals, share their talent through workshops, and network furiously when they go abroad and always sharing the spotlight with the larger NWT industry.  The NWT Film Commission was proud to have contributed SEED funding to their trip, and the professional development it provided.

Jen Walden; a fixture in the NWT’s art scene, recently had her short film The Painted Girl recognized by Women in Film and Television – Toronto, with a screening in that city.

Meanwhile, our collective industry continues to move forward. The NWT Professional Media Association reached a milestone June 24th as they held their first-ever Industry Expo to share ideas and celebrate the many successes our industry has seen in recent years. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has provided funding to this organization since its establishment to assist in skill development within the NWT’s local industry. I would encourage my colleagues to visit the Association online and get to know some of the talented leaders driving film forward in our territory every day.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT’s diverse and breathtaking topography is unique, and second only to its rich cultural and Aboriginal heritage in attracting and inspiring the interests of film producers and productions. There is a growing national and international appetite for the stories and characters that can only be found in our North.

We are pleased with the progress we have made, but we also know there is much left to do. We look forward to continuing our celebration and support of the film sector as we work to encourage and attract film productions to all regions of the Northwest Territories; and to contribute to employment creation, enhance our territory’s profile and increase our industry’s creative and technical skills base.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.