View From the Legislature

This past Saturday I was at the Manitoba Legislature doing some weekend work. That itself isn’t unusual, but things around the building itself looked quite different from an average weekend. In one meeting room, it had been completely redesigned and set up to appear to be a court room, featuring the Great Seal of Iowa positioned over the judge’s bench. In another room, a jail cell had been created, complete with cell doors and concrete walls (which on closer inspection turned out to be Styrofoam).

It turns out that for the day, the Manitoba Legislature had been taken over by Hollywood. Wires, cameras and monitors were covering the first two floors of the century old building and hundreds of people were working on filming a new movie called Champions. The movie is directed by Bobby Farrelly and stars Woody Harrelson. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Farrelly and Mr. Harrelson between filming which was a clear reminder that this wasn’t an ordinary day at the office.

But while it may not be ordinary, seeing movies being filmed in Winnipeg and Manitoba is no longer a rare event. In fact, it has become big business, partly because of attractive provincial tax credits and partly because Manitoba is growing in its reputation as a place with great filming locations and talented crew that are needed on any production.

Last year, the total volume of film and television production in the province was nearly $250 million. Despite a dip in production when the pandemic began in 2020, production quickly resumed with significant protocols in place. Those remain in place and on-set at the Manitoba Legislature this past weekend rapid COVID tests and masks were required.

The growth of the industry means that many jobs that were before sporadic, such as lighting, sound, rigging, costume, hair and makeup are in high demand year-round. Beyond that, the industry helps to support restaurants, car rentals and hotels to name just a few. While films like Champions attract top actors and directors, many of the productions are smaller in nature but just as important to the health of the film industry in the province. Manitoba has become a bit of a home for annual Christmas movies. This year, Crashing Through the Snow and Snowkissed are being streamed after being released recently. They join Christmas by Starlight and Project Christmas Wish which were filmed in Manitoba and released last year.

In addition to the economic benefits that come with the growing film industry, is the pride that Manitobans feel in seeing familiar locations on the big screen or their T.V. sets when a film is released. It is a way to share our province with the world. As a government we continue to look for ways to support the film industry in Manitoba and the many benefits that residents receive from it.