Ontario has proposed a reduction in the province’s formal filming incentive programme in response to the falling Canadian dollar. Toronto is Canada’s main production centre – as well as being a major North American hub – and recently hosted Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak.
An upcoming Spanish-language biopic of Pope Francis entitled Call me Francesco has wrapped seven weeks of location filming in Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina. Shooting is scheduled to continue on location in Rome, Turin and Munich.
New US drama series Outsiders will use Pennsylvania’s filming incentives to shoot on location in the Pittsburgh area, using the region as a stand-in for Kentucky. Pittsburgh’s recent screen appearances include standing in for Gotham City in The Dark Knight Rises.
Innocean Worldwide shot on location on the Delamar Dry Lake in Nevada for a special project for Hyundai Motors. The production used a fleet of cars to create a love note from a teenage girl that would be visible to her father on the International Space Station.
A long-mooted sequel to the 1996 alien invasion movie Independence Day starts filming on location in New Mexico in the next few weeks. New Mexico is the top US filming spot for desert locations, with recent movies including Lone Survivor and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Companies in New Zealand and China are set to produce the first 3D animated co-production between the two countries. Huhu Studios in Auckland will work with China Film Animation on Beast of Burden, with financing from Qi Tai Culture Development Group.
This year’s Young Director Award is open for entries, with filmmakers invited to submit their short movies by 24 May 2015. The CFP-E (Commercial Film Producers of Europe)/Shots Young Director’s Award (YDA) is a fringe event of the Cannes Film Festival.
Australia has sent its largest ever delegation to attend the 5th Australia-China Film Industry Forum, the Beijing International Film Festival and the Beijing Film Market. More than 50 representatives from Australia’s production industry are attending the events.