Alberta’s film industry is seeing stars
More Hollywood movies expected to film in Alberta following opening of new studio
Zana El-Youssef
Staff Writer
Hollywood has changed locations with more and more films taking place in Alberta. A-lister actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are going to be in the province while filming their new movie, The Revenant, that’s due to come out for Christmas 2015.
Photo courtesy: flickr / Steve Jurvetson
Home to the sets of many famous Hollywood movies, Alberta is the leading location in Canada for film-making. With the prairies on one side and the mountains on the other, directors believe it to be the perfect balance of landscape for a variety of films.
The latest film settling into the Calgary landscape, is The Revenant and features two very reputable and talented Hollywood actors: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film is not set for release until Christmas of 2015.
This is the second motion picture in the past year to be filmed on Albertan land. The first movie Interseller features Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and will be in theatres on Oct. 29.
Larry Day, president of Pyramid Productions Calgary, believes the good crews available are another reason why Alberta is now a reputable filming location.
Day expresses that in the future there is concern that economic incentives in other parts of North America may come into play, which may encourage producers to film more sets in areas closer to Los Angeles. He believes that scenario would greatly impact Alberta. However, Day remains positive with Alberta’s film industry hoping it continues to grow in the future. He believes Calgarians should embrace it because it increases popularity for our city as a whole.
“We’re having a good run right now. I think that it’s fun for all Calgarians. It helps to put us on the map, not just in film but also in tourism, so I think we should enjoy it for sure.”
2015 will be a big year for Calgary’s film industry. The city will finally be getting a state-of-the-art studio of its own. A $22.8-million dollar studio is set to open in the outskirts of the city, with more information expected in the future about the project. With this project, the new space will only add to all that Alberta has to offer for film.
