Film festival and production facility part of new plan to attract Hollywood talent to Brampton

After another record-breaking year for movies and TV shows filmed in Brampton, the city is looking to attract even more international talent to town with plans that could include a new film festival and production studio.

From big-budget adventures to intense thrillers and much more, Brampton was the backdrop for more than 60 film and TV productions last year including the new seasons of Star Trek: Stranger New Worlds and the hit Amazon series Reacher.

Some 276 applications were filed to the city’s Film & Television Office in 2023 with 69 of those projects getting the green light to film in Brampton, bringing in some $281,000 in revenue to city coffers – making for the highest percentage of approvals since the office launched nearly a decade ago.

And a new report going to city council this week shows Brampton will be making a push to bring even more productions to town and plans to launch a film festival within the next five years.

The report shows a new strategy for the Brampton Film & Television Office to address “current gaps and anticipated needs” by increasing production volume and the city’s capacity to take on projects. This could include the hiring of new coordination and support staff ($92,000) and an enhanced marketing campaign ($96,000) among other changes.

It also says the city hopes to launch a film festival at an estimated cost of $380,000, and explore developing a city-owned film production facility or creative hub.

“To stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry, the Film Office is recommended to invest in resources to modernize certain systems and prepare for emerging and future needs of the industry,” the report reads.

Staff say the updated Brampton Film & Television Office strategy will lay out “a clear roadmap to going beyond a film-friendly city, but to becoming an international, world-class production hub that nurtures domestic talent development.”

The report will go to Brampton City Council for approval on Wednesday.

Brampton had 80 different film, television and commercial projects for more than 550 combined days of filming activity in 2021 as productions began filming again following COVID-19 lockdowns.

Other recent Brampton productions include the Netflix film 13: The Musical, the Amazon superhero show Gen V, the Kevin Hart comedy The Man from Toronto and the Hulu/CTV series The Handmaid’s Tale.

The city says the economic impact of TV and film productions in Brampton since 2018 is over $18 million.