The City of Calgary’s film, television and digital production industries were lauded in Cannes, France, on Monday, receiving the Location of the Year award at the Global Production Awards ceremony, held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival..“The Global Production Awards recognize excellence in film production around the world and are judged by leading industry experts,” said the City of Calgary in a released statement. “The awards celebrate the best locations, stand-out studios, outstanding creative crews, ideas, and executions.”.The Location of the Year award recognizes standing sets, locations where work is done for one or multiple film and television productions. .Standing sets are permanent sets, such as soundstages or backlots, used regularly for various productions. This year’s award acknowledges three local standing sets, John Scott Ranch, CL Ranch and Albertina Farms, in the immediate Calgary area..Productions at these locations include The Revenant, Wynonna Earp, Fargo, Night at the Museum 3, The Last of Us and Heartland..“Increasingly, we’re seeing productions come here because of our modern studios, skilled talent pool, post-production support, focus on sustainability and equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility across Calgary’s creative economy,” said Luke Azevedo, Calgary Film commissioner and VP, Creative Industries and Operations, Calgary Economic Development, in the city’s release. “This recognition is testament to Calgary being a leading destination for global, large-scale productions because we work together to create the right environment for their success.”.In the statement, the City of Calgary added, “The screen industries are an important part of Calgary’s diversifying economy, helping to build Calgary’s brand as an iconic city and a global creative hub. Together, the Calgary Film Commission, The City of Calgary and industry partners have been working to make Calgary an attractive place for film, television and digital media production.”.The award's significance cannot be understated in terms of the momentum generated in the local industries, putting the city on the world map, said Azevedo..“This is a totally different festival. It’s a global festival, and I think it really did put us on the map here, which we haven’t had before,” he said, adding the standing sets landowners really do all the hard work. “Those folks that are managing that land and ensuring that it stays as good or better than it was found, and continue to do the work that they do to enable us to be there on those sets is incredible and we’re forever grateful to them.” .“This award is going towards them and the amount of work that they’ve done for us.”.According to Screen Daily, one judge said the Calgary-area locations “provided decades of filmmakers with a rock-solid filmmaking venue, bringing a high level of production support in a stunning natural setting.”.Azevedo, who attended the ceremony, said international interest in the area was immediate from producers and executives outside the Los Angeles and New York areas..“The second that we got off that stage, we had people handing us cards, asking for visuals and asking us for digital photo packages because they’ve got projects that could potentially fit,” he said..Calgary was also a finalist for the City of Film award, which goes to a city whose work assists TV and filmmakers, develops local skills, and boosts the local economy.
