Film and television
General Industry Profile
Greater Montréal supports a film and television industry of international calibre that employs more than 35,000 people in 500 companies. This industry has generated an annual average volume of activity of $1.25B over the last five years. Among other things, the motion picture industry of Greater Montréal includes the following activities: financing, training and R&D, specialized services for the support of production, manufacturing and distribution of goods and equipment, development of specialized software and applications, pre-production (activities for the design and editing of projects), production (filming activities), post-production (processing activities) and distribution.
Key Figures
- 35,000 professionals within some 500 enterprises
- An average annual business volume of 1.25 billion, including more than $200 million in capital from foreign productions
- A post-production sector which generated $42 million in 2010
Benefits of the Region
Top-Notch Infrastructure
- Studios with cutting edge technology
- The biggest movie complex in Canada
- A variety of filming locations that are unique in the world and accessible with a single click thanks to the national digital photo library of the Québec Film and Television Council (BCTQ), which contains more than 30,000 photos representing all regions of Québec
- Approximately 20 internationally renowned animation and visual effects studios.
Labour
- A pool of experienced labour with more than 3,000 technicians in the metropolitan region
- In an radius of less than 25 km, one finds approximately thirty animation, visual effects and software development studios
- Greater Montréal is recognized for the dynamic nature of its video game sector. As the convergence between the video game and film sectors has become increasingly strong, the motion picture industry is benefitting from a major development force
- Specialized training centres are available at the collegiate and university level
Incentives
Companies working in the film industry benefit from a specific support program: the tax credit for motion picture production services. These tax credits can total up to 25% for the Québec government and 16% for the federal government, and apply to the costs of labour.
For special digital effects (VFX) and animation, an additional rate of 20% may be added. Filming done before a chrome key screen likewise entails an additional rate of 20%. Therefore, in all, these tax credits can total up to 53.8%.
In addition to the tax credits for R&D, numerous other financial and tax incentives are offered to companies. Please contact us to determine if you are eligible for one of the following programs:
- Financial aid for the creation of jobs and training
- Tax holidays for foreign experts and researchers
- Investment plan feasibility study
- Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
- Strategic Investment Support Program [Programme d’appui stratégique à l’investissement (PASI)]
- Economic Projects Support Program [Programme de soutien aux projets économiques (PSPE)]
- PR@M Industry
Costs
According to the Competitive Choices study conducted by KPMG in 2010, regarding costs, Greater Montréal offers a business environment that is among the most competitive in North America. In fact, Montréal ranks first among the 20 largest centres of Canada and the United States for lowest total operating costs, taking into account labour costs, industrial and office space costs and energy costs.
The excellent quality-to-cost ratio offered in Greater Montréal is:
- A strategic asset selecting an establishment site is strongly linked to the cost, especially during a period of economic downturn
- An incentive for companies that are looking for a site located close to major North American markets
- A significant advantage for companies in the R&D sectors because of generous tax incentives offered by the Governments of Québec and Canada
