The sky is blue, grass is green and The Great North has become a hotspot for Hollywood bigwigs. If you aren’t convinced of this, take it up with MovieMaker, a popular publication that named 5 Canadian cities among the best places to live in and work in the industry.
Let us preface this by saying you will not see New York City or Los Angeles on this list.
As explained on their website, the two locations have been retired to their “Hall of Fame,” making more room for Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and even Kelowna to make their 2024 list.
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“We don’t feel like we even need to tell you how terrific they are in terms of their huge film and TV industry presence, endless networking opportunities, and full-hearted embrace of cinematic culture,” they explain, before offering a few alternatives.
Compiled using questionnaires as well as talks with moviemakers and research into financial incentives, cost of living and overall happiness, they found that Montreal was worthy of the 10th spot.
Revered for its creative atmosphere, Quebec’s largest city was just one spot removed from Calgary, Alberta which came in at number eight for its diverse landscape.
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In fifth place was Vancouver which impressed judges with its beauty and film incentives, as well as its short commute to the city of Angels.
Then there’s Toronto!
This year, the city was given the most coveted spot.
From The Boys, Cruel Intentions and Reacher to Star Trek, What We Do In the Shadows and Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, they’ve really seen it all.
“Canada’s largest city, with a population of nearly 3 million, is a booming, no-nonsense film and TV capital that consistently draws billions in industry spending,” MovieMaker explained.
“Each fall, the eyes of the film world turn to the Toronto International Film Festival for an early look at some of the year’s likely Oscar contenders. But the eyes of the world are also on Toronto almost all the time, because we see it every time we flip through our TV channels or subscription services.”
Live in Kamloops? Congrats, because the B.C. destination made their list in the “small towns” category in 5th place and was described as a “fast-rising film hub.”
Want to know who else made the cut? Here are their top 10 Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker in their ‘big cities’ category.
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Austin, Texas
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Miami, Florida
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Chigaco, Illinois
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Good luck and enjoy living in such a vibrant country. We’ve got it pretty good here, Canada!
