Yours to discover

Ontario’s film industry shines at TIFF, even if the stars didn’t come out

IF YOU ATTENDED the Toronto International Film Festival and were at the Celebrate Ontario event in early September hoping to rub elbows with the crème de la crème of Canadian thespians such as Rachel McAdams or Ryan Gosling, you were out of luck. Hell, there wasn’t even a Gordon Pinsent sighting, though international superstar Viggo Mortensen briefly appeared and then, just as quickly, was whisked away before anyone could get too close. Star gazers may have better luck camping out underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, a location employed by many film and television productions (including Orphan Black and Suicide Squad) because of its uncanny Chicago/New York vibe.

The soirée held at the prestigious and heavily marble-adorned Carlu venue was clearly not a hot red carpet event in the Hollywood sense, but that’s not to suggest the fabric of the industry wasn’t present. Hosted by Ontario Creates — the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport agency that acts as an economic developer for the province’s creative industries — the event attracted more than 1,000 strong. Despite invitations to no-shows such as musician Robbie Robertson, Kid in the Hall Bruce McCullough and Hélène Joy of Murdoch Mysteries, there were still plenty of people who leaned towards the anonymous side of the industry, such as producers, directors, production designers and the like — the people who do the creative heavy lifting.

Nevertheless, Celebrate Ontario was still a people watching paradise. The schmooze fest had a “come as you want” vibe, with plenty of sharply dressed attendees and just as many casually clothed guests, from one wearing shiny moccasins that looked like a Christopher Bates creation to a large man wearing very tight, bright red pants. But the evening’s winner had to be the man who wore a plaid jacket, shredded jeans and pink shoes, even topping the guy wearing a bathrobe, sandals and white socks.

Fashion faux pas notwithstanding, this group of industry insiders is clearly doing something very right judging by the current state of Ontario’s film and television industry. Last year, The Shape of Water, which employed a production crew almost exclusively from Ontario, received nine Oscar nominations, taking home four (best picture, best director, best original score and best production design). The movie checked all the boxes for the type of project Ontario Creates wants to support, says CEO Karen Thorne-Stone.

We went from making content for ourselves to making content in demand worldwide

“It was a huge generator in terms of economic impact, awareness in Ontario of the industry here and employment.” The Oscars didn’t hurt either, she adds.

Building on that success story is Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the first Canadian documentary to open TIFF, and one that employed nearly 150 crew, an unheard of amount for a doc. “This is a film we’re particularly proud of for so many reasons. It really showcases very nicely both our film industry and our music industry,” Thorne-Stone says.

Film and television production in Ontario has matured to the point where the industry spent nearly $1.9 billion in the province last year, supporting 37,000 direct and spinoff jobs, and that’s just counting the projects Ontario Creates helped with location scouting assistance, tax credits and other support. Ten films that appeared at this year’s TIFF had agency support. “In the last 10 years, give or take, we started to see Canadian content, Ontario content really come into its own. We moved past that King of Kensington era,” Thorne-Stone says. “We went from making content for ourselves to making content that’s in demand worldwide.” For example, television productions such as Rookie Blue, Flashpoint and Murdoch Mysteries, as well as plenty of children’s programming, all meet “the highest quality production levels and is being exported all around the world,” she says.

The Ontario Film Commission, an arm of Ontario Creates, has a long history of supporting quality television productions, including classic ’80s and ’90s shows such as E.N.G. and La Femme Nikita, with funding, locations for filming and on-site troubleshooting, says its commissioner, Justin Cutler. He is extremely bullish that the number and quality of productions will only keep growing given the recent commitments from streaming services like Netflix Inc., Hulu and Amazon.com Inc. to bring more feature film work to the province. Similarly, CBS recently made a long-term commitment to a facility in Mississauga. Cutler says around two million square feet of new studio space is scheduled to open in Ontario over the next two years, virtually doubling the existing space within the province.

The $1.9 billion spent on film and television work through Ontario Creates is only part of the agency’s overall mandate, which includes digital media, magazine and book publishing, and music. All told, the creative arts supported by the province bring in some $6 to $7 billion annually, which Thorne-Stone says is more than forestry, mining, agriculture and traditional manufacturing. “It is a significant piece of our economy.”

The industry pride shown at TIFF was palpable, but one can’t help but wonder whether the average Ontario resident really cares that they’re watching a production created close to home. “I think that more and more Ontarians are becoming aware of this