OTTAWA – Production on Canadian horror film Pyewacket, shot in Ontario’s Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding communities over 19 days, created $5.4 million in economic output and generated $3.7 million in GDP, says a new study released by the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA).
The study, available here, also found that for every dollar in federal tax credits received by the film, Pyewacket generated an impressive $37.41 in economic output and $25.74 in GDP. Each dollar of federal tax credit received by the film also yielded $3.21 in tax revenue.
In addition, production on Pyewacket had a significant positive impact for both the residents of Northern Ontario and local businesses. In total, the production contracted the services of 59 vendors in Northern Ontario, the majority of which were based in Sault Ste. Marie.
Pyewacket, a TIFF 2017 Official Selection, was released in Canadian movie theatres on December 8. The film was produced by JoBro Productions and Just Believe Productions, and is distributed by Seville International (an Entertainment One company).
“It has been great to watch Northern Ontario establish itself as a new hotspot for Canadian production over the past few years,” said CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin, in the study’s news release. “This report shows that a single film, like Pyewacket, can make significant economic contributions while helping to further expand on the success story of Northern Ontario’s production industry.”
“One of the most rewarding aspects of filming in smaller communities is to see the local impacts firsthand,” added Jonathan Bronfman of JoBro Productions, which co-produced Pyewacket. “In addition to utilizing businesses from the area, we hired several skilled local crew members with little to no direct experience in filmmaking, who are now in a position to build careers in this industry, which is thriving.”
