MontrÃ©al, Canada

by MovieMaker Staff | Published November 13, 2006

There are many reasons to hop the border to the Canadian province of QuÃ©bec: A liberal political climate, delicious French-Canadian cuisine and the yearly winter carnival for starters. But for moviemakers, the incentives are even greater, leading many Americans to take their cast and crew north, in particular to the city of MontrÃ©al.

Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Fountain.

The largest city in QuÃ©bec, MontrÃ©al has a long history of supporting the arts, and offers a variety of benefits for moviemakers looking to shoot in the area. From assisting with location scouting to financial and tax support, the MontrÃ©al Film and TV Commission has ensured that its town is moviemakerâ€”and movie loverâ€”friendly. The city has played host to over 1,000 film and television projects, including Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming epic, The Fountain, which follows the romance of a star-crossed couple over the course of a millennium.

Some of both mainstream and indie film’s most successful flicks have called MontrÃ©al their home for some period of time, from the apocalyptic blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow (the city’s highest grossing film to date) to art-house classics like FranÃ§ois Girard’s The Red Violin and Norman Jewison’s Agnes of God.

For more information on taking advantage of some French-Canadian hospitality, visit www.montrealfilm.com.

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Comment by Marc Vachon on 11/13/06 at 1:03 pm

And you should see Quebec city. When you walk through the Old City, you have the feeling that you’re somewhere in France. Its narrow, cobbled streets and historic fortresses make it an ideal location for motion picture and TV productions.

Many scenes from different movies were shot in Quebec, like Making Lives (2003) starring Angelina Jolie, and Kiefer Sutherland. Catch me if you can (2002) by Steven Spieldberg, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. And maybe you remember I Confess (1952) by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter.

The Quebec City Film and TV Commission provides free technical support to filmmakers and directors for all types of productions and is their exclusive representative for obtaining services from the municipality for shooting purposes.

More information at http://www.quebecfilm.com
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Comment by James Rae on 11/14/06 at 10:18 am

You should also keep in mind that Montreal is a bilingual city, with experienced crews who work in both languages, and an extensive talent pool of English Canadian actors as well as French actors. Casting directors can draw on depth in either language, or even cast bilingual projects, such as the recent local success, ‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’.