The Alberta government will be helping cultural industries in the province by spending $8 million on the Alberta Media Fund (AMF), the Western Standard has learned. Through the AMF, book and magazine publishers, sound recording agencies and film producers can access grants for projects in art production, training, career development, marketing and research. The Alberta government supports organizations to carry out initiatives such as export marketing and investment attraction for content creators and programs showcasing and celebrating excellence within cultural industries.“Cultural industries put our stories into the movies that we see and the songs that we hear,” said Alberta Arts, Culture, and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir in a Tuesday press release. “The publishing sector preserves and celebrates Alberta’s cultural heritage and provides a wealth of education and entertainment.” By providing stable, ongoing support to cultural industries, Fir said the Alberta government would be “creating a stronger economy and putting Alberta’s culture on local and international stages and screens.”In 2021, Statistics Canada said cultural industries contributed $2.7 billion to the economy and sustained more than 19,000 jobs. The Alberta government added this ongoing spending continues this momentum by supporting projects that attract investment, promote creators, and continue the growth of the film, television, publishing, and music industries. Operating and project grants through the AMF play a critical role in Alberta’s cultural industry organizations. For example, its support for book publishing helped the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) create a curriculum-based catalog of made-in-Alberta books.BPAA President Matt Bowes acknowledged it was "grateful for the support of Alberta’s government for our industry and for the additional funding increment that we received this year." “We have seen the impacts of significant, sustained funding for the film industry and how that industry has grown and succeeded as a direct result," said Leblanc. Studio Post President and General Manager Mark Wood said it was pleased to see $8 million allocated towards the AMF. “The funding will help foster the growth and success of the screen-based productions,” said Wood. “The Post-Production Grant is a game changer and unique to Alberta.” Fir said in an interview with Western Standard that cultural industries promote Alberta’s unique culture and heritage. “But equally as important, these are industries that boost our province’s economy, diversify our province’s economy, create local jobs, bring in more tourism,” she said. “That is why we continue to invest in it.” While the Alberta government has increased funding for cultural industries before, she said it wanted to maintain it this year to support the economy. This $8 million is a split of $2.5 million for books, music and magazine organizations and $5.5 million for film and TV. Alberta started to attract the attention of multiple large film productions in 2021. READ MORE: Lights, camera, ACTION: Film industry sets sights on AlbertaThe film and TV industry has long been attracted to Alberta for its sprawling landscapes and beautiful greenery, but a few big-name productions committed to filming new projects in it. The Last of Us was being adopted from the popular video game to a TV series had made a point to give casting calls locally, inviting Albertans to come and be part of the process.
