In the shadows of Parliament

By Troy Baker

Ottawa is generally known as a government town. When one entity is responsible
for employing one-third of the workforce, its hard it for a city to not assume the
identity of the organization.

But there is more to the city then its perceived white-collar attitude. Behind the
inflated government paychecks and constant struggle against political
correctness and under the shadow of Parliament Hill lays a rapidly growing film
industry.

Over 35 years ago the Canadian Film Institute founded the Ottawa International
Film festival, and though the festival has had its ups and downs it remains the
pinnacle of festivals for animation. Being home to some of the first private
animation studios, Ottawa was a natural choice and continues to draw major
projects.

Mercury Filmworks, who have had a hand on major film and TV productions such
as Curious George, Fat Albert and the Powerpuff Girls leads the charge. And
while it is animation companies that laid the groundwork, live action has started
to take notice.

Initially established in the late 80s then disbanded in 1993 for lack of funding, the
Ottawa Gatineau Film and Development Corporation was re-established in 2003
when film and television production began to build in Ottawa.

The Ottawa film industry has brought as much as $23-million to the city in a
single year, yet the program is seriously under funded, under appreciated and
under publicized. Currently under the Invest Ottawa banner there is hopes that it
will continue to grow.

The biggest ongoing task Invest Ottawa has taken on is bringing much needed
production space to Ottawa. Currently Cine Space, a Toronto based studio, is in
talks to build a multi-use production space for the budding Ottawa scene. The
proposed production space would be equipped with offices and studios as well as
sound stages.

This is something that the city needs if it wants to continue to grow said director
Chris Renaud. A location in Ottawa that would be one stop, like those in
Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, would help the industry.

Granted Ottawa has yet to house films of the caliber that some of Hollywood
Norths heavy weights have, a studio with the Cine Space name would go a long
way to making it a top five choice for producers.




One of the top locations on Cine Spaces dream list is over Bayview Yard, but
other locations, such as the newly developed land near the airport which
currently houses the Ernest Young Centre, are equally desirable.

Right now producers coming to Ottawa rely heavily on location shooting. The
versatility of locations has held up. But if the industry wants to grow then the
infrastructure needs to lead the way.

Ottawa has more green space then any other city in Ontario, both surrounding
the city and in the cities core. The boroughs throughout the city, such as Little
Italy, Chinatown, the French Quarter and Little Lebanon offer a diversity found in
few cities. The canal offers a unique look found in major cities like Chicago and
New York.

Ottawa may look like a government town, but it has the potential to be an artists
playground.