Alberta launches film and TV tax credit

The United Conservative Party in Alberta, Canada, has launched a new film and television tax credit program worth up to 22% of spend in the province for international productions and 30% for Alberta-owned productions.

The new program is an attempt to draw more major projects to Alberta, offering a tax credit to help cover production and labour costs up to $10m per project.

“It was one of our platform commitments to introduce this program and Alberta’s had a long-standing commitment with the film industry,” said Tanya Fir, minister of economic development, Trade and Tourism.

The previous Screen-based Production Grant offered in Alberta was closed in the last budget. But Fur has assured that during the transition from the grant program to the credit program, the $45m between the two programs will be maintained.

Alberta is growing in popularity as a filming location, recently hosting Jumanji: The Next Level, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black, and 1960s-set drama Let Him Go, starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, which filmed in Fort Macleod.

The small town of Fort Macleod has proved surprisingly popular with Hollywood, previously hosting sci-fi adventure film Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey, and Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.