David Anselmo had to leave his hometown of Sudbury years ago to pursue his passion of film-making.
Now, thanks to continued funding from the provincial government, he's been back home for more than five years, and is still able to do what he loves as the Northern Ontario film and TV industry is booming.
"Growing up in Sudbury, I never had the opportunity to be a filmmaker and really wanted to, and had to go abroad for about ten years to pursue my career and my dream. But, when the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation started funding this industry in Northern Ontario, I moved home and it allowed me to be close to my family, and to pursue the dream that I wanted to at home." said Anselmo, who runs the Northern Ontario Film Studios.
Sudbury MPP, Glenn Thibeault was on hand Friday to announce another $33-million in NOHFC funding to support more than 50 film and TV projects that are already going on, or are planned across the northeast.
"That's coming into our film and TV sector here, that is coming into our economy creating jobs, not only in this sector, but there is spin-off that it's having at hotels, at restaurants. This is great for us because it’s doing two things: it’s helping us grow our economy and it’s also helping us to continue to grow our culture and our artistic value we have here in the north." said Thibeault
"The most important thing is the jobs that they are creating. With just my company alone, we've created the equivalent of over twelve hundred full-time jobs this year, and I’m sure that number is quadrupled over the entire industry here in Northern Ontario." said Anselmo.
Some of this money has already been put to good use. $750,000 went toward the production of “Indian Horse,” a film about a First Nations hockey player from the north which was a huge hit at Sudbury’s Cinéfest last fall.
