Filming in Canada called a smart move

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Filmmakers for "The Elizabeth Smart Story" say you can blame Canada. More specifically you can blame the Canadian dollar.

Patricia Clifford, executive producer for the Elizabeth Smart movie, said the decision to film in the Halifax region instead of Salt Lake City was all about budget.

"That was a financial decision," she said. "I cannot remember the last time I shot a movie in America. It's too bad. It's that Canadian dollar. You can't beat it. And there aren't enough incentives, I think, for producers to make movies in America."

Shooting movies in less expensive Canada and Halifax in particular is nothing new. For the past five years, the movie industry has averaged $120 million to $130 million worth of business in Nova Scotia each year, said Ann MacKenzie, executive director of the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation.

About $89 million of that is created by local filmmakers, she said.

Much of the "Titanic" movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet was filmed in Halifax. Academy Award-winning "Bowling for Columbine" was produced by a Halifax-based company and debuted at the annual Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax.

This year's Atlantic Film Festival wrapped up Saturday. The feature film at this year's event starred Olympia Dukakis.

"We have a very, very talented local film community," MacKenzie said.

In addition, Halifax offers full-service movie infrastructures including four sound stages and a camera rental house.

Because of all Halifax has to offer, MacKenzie said she believes the value of the Canadian dollar is just one factor that lures movie producers north of the border.

"The dollar has been a very good deal in the past," she said. "But that's not going to be a lasting thing. The Canadian dollar has climbed significantly in the past year."

MacKenzie also said she believes filmmakers will continue traveling to Nova Scotia more for the local scenery and producers than the dollar in the next few years.

The Elizabeth Smart movie is being filmed at several existing locations around Halifax. Very few stages were created for the movie. Clifford said this has been one of the smoothest movie shoots she's ever done and credits the professionalism of the local crews for that.