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Okanagan film industry brings in $32 million

Business is brisk in the Okanagan
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The Okanagan’s wintry landscapes should be an asset when film crews roll in to film a yet-to-be-named Christmas movie.

Filming on a festive production by Universal Studios and NBC is expected to start this month, Jon Summerland of the Okanagan Film Commission told the Central Okanagan Regional District board at a recent meeting.

And that’s just one of 10 productions Summerland said he knows will be filmed in the valley in the year ahead.

Also tentatively slated for 2019, is the Enderby Entertainment series Beneath.

Summerland said it will come with a $45 million below the line budget. The British/ Chinese, Zycon Media launch their first animation studio in Canada here in Mind’s Eye has three more scripts to be filmed in the year ahead named, Undying, Deadlines and Gunner.

READ ALSO: MOVIE MAKING IN KELOWNA

And Imagination Park will be filming their Chinese co-production feature Red Dragon in Osoyoos in spring 2019.

When all is said and done, the amount of money to pour into the Okanagan could be significant, Summerland says.

Last year, film production in the valley brought in an estimated $31,845,000 of economic activity.

The film commission is responsible for attracting film, television, and animation productions to the Okanagan-Similkameen-Boundary region, as Summerland personally works with filmmakers across the globe and closer to home to bring film productions started to the region.

In the future, Summerland told the regional district he hopes to increase the appeal of the valley beyond what it already offers, citing the ongoing need to “aggressively following new clients.”

He said film production regionally already has a “proven track record for providing exceptional value for a producer’s dollar.”

“We have the talent, energy and heart to meet most production needs and the tools that will help bring it in on time and on budget,” said Summerland.

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