Written by Tom Deehan on Jan 13, 2016. Posted in Incentive News

Funding for the Vancouver Island South Film Commission has been cut

The Vancouver Island South (VIS) Film and Media Commission (also known as the Greater Victoria Film Commission), has had its funding cut after the city’s councillors voted on an alteration to the Strategic Planning Grant policy currently in place. This motion will result in a cap of CAD25,000 down from the previous amount of funding of CAD45,000.

Councillor Jeremy Loveday, who voted against the cap, explains: “I really think we need to be investing in the Greater Victoria Film Commission. They had a banner year in 2015. With USD18 million into the local economy, these are the types of investments we should be making… we need to be looking at the merit of applications rather than with a broad stroke putting a cap on it.”

The VIS Film Commission has previously offered a generous filming incentive of up to 45% in tax credits. This programme includes a base rate of 33% for qualifying productions, with additional credits available based on the expenditure for labour and post-production incurred within British Colombia. This incentive is likely to change however in the wake of these budget cuts.

Councillor Loveday has proposed a motion to reconsider the cap and hopefully reverse the city council’s decision. This funding cap precedes a complete analysis of the city’s budget, with a town hall meeting set to take place January 21^st to discuss expenditure.

The VIS Commission has been in operation since 1996 and has amassed a large portfolio over time. The list of productions the commission has worked on includes the recent Hollywood adaptation of Godzilla, and the iconic The X-Files television series.