NAMASTE [*].(Saskatchewan film industry booming)

Greetings From The Saskatchewan Film Industry

In the '90s a new industry was born in Saskatchewan. Through hard work and perseverance, film and television production companies such as Minds Eye Pictures, Media Group, Thomega Entertainment, Partners In Motion Pictures, Heartland Motion Pictures, Westwind Pictures, Reel Eye Media, Independent Moving Pictures, and Camera West are attracting major productions from the U.S., as well as proudly showcasing local initiatives in the huge U.S. market and in 60 other countries around the world.

In only a decade, total production expenditures in Saskatchewan increased from $4.5 million in 1988-89 to $58 million in 1998, due in large part to the vision of such people as Kevin DeWalt, Stephen Onda, Gerry Horne, Larry Baumann and Don List, who, legend has it, sat down one day with a case of Bohemian and pioneered the whole enterprise. They, along with Gail Tilson, Michael Snook, and Gord McLellan, have contributed their time, money and talents not merely to furthering their corporate endeavors, but the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Association (SMPIA), SaskFilm, and the Saskatchewan Film Producer's Association (SFPA) as well. In the words of Valerie Creighton, CEO of SaskFilm, "this has been an undertaking which has provided significant revenue and skilled employment for the province while being environmentally responsible and infinitely …