Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says the province will spend $2.5 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) on the local film and television industry.
“Today’s $2.5 million investment will increase the industry’s jobs and investments in northern Ontario, including right here in Nipissing,” said Fedeli.
Local film and television projects receiving NOHFC funding include:
- $800,000 for Blood Lines Films to produce the film Blood Lines, shot in and around North Bay, a feature film that follows the story of a woman who is both a reporter and grocery store clerk whose world comes crashing down with the homecoming of her estranged mother and the appearance of a mysterious woman in both their lives
- $500,000 for Distinct Features to produce the film Driven, shot in and around North Bay, about a young lawyer who is trapped in a high-tech car on an isolated northern highway by a malevolent force
- $500,000 for Embers Film to produce the film The Embers and the Starts, shot in and around North Bay, a feature film that follows the story of an astrophysicist stationed in the north of Canada who discovers that there are two non-human powers positioned to take control of earth and its inhabitants
- $500,000 for HP Productions to produce the film Operation Mistletoe, filmed in and around North Bay, about an expert decorator and her former high school crush, who returns to sell a house that her best friend hires her to decorate
- $200,000 for Mukwa Studios to improve its studio space with a new rigging grid to support lights, backdrops and safety harnesses
"Distinct Features' production of the movie "Driven" will be one of the most northern productions ever shot, with 95 per cent of the cast and crew coming from the north and more specifically North Bay," says Derek Diorio, president of Distinct Features, producer of Driven. "The ongoing support of Distinct Features from the NOHFC has helped us develop a world-class production and acting community."
“We were able to shoot in the summer of 2024 and bring top-tier cast up to the north to work alongside all of the talent that northern Ontario has to offer," said Maddy Falle, producer of The Embers and The Stars.
"The unwavering support from the NOHFC and Minister Fedeli has been absolutely essential to the success of our film," added David Anselmo, president of Hideaway Pictures and producer of Operation Mistletoe. "Their funding not only enables us to bring our creative vision to life but also supports the local economy, talent, and communities that make this region such an inspiring place to create."
A news release says since June 2018, the NOHFC has spent more than $147 million on 865 projects in the Nipissing area, leveraging more than $637 million in investment and creating or sustaining 1,531 jobs.
