Camosun College wants to change the film sector for the better on Southern Vancouver Island and are making headway in their construction of the educational film studio at the college.
The provincial government provided Camosun College with a $150,000 grant to put together a business case that is now almost complete. Their next steps are to put their feelers out there to those who may be interested in building the studio.
“In a sense, we’re creating a partnership opportunity for Camosun to build the studio, a report that will likely be put out in November and an expression of interest will be coming sometime shortly thereafter,” said Geoff Wilmshurst, vice-president of partnerships at the college.
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The five-acre plot of land the studio would be built on aims to provide new educational opportunities that will lead to jobs, since there are hundreds of jobs in the film and TV industry, said Wilmshurst. “There’s a huge demand for studio space, since there aren’t really any other options on southern Vancouver Island.”
The development plans call for three new sound stages, a production facility and an educational facility. Those involved in the local film industry are also excited about the possibility.
“The studio is what we need to bring in the big money,” Kathleen Gilbert, commissioner for the Vancouver Island South Film and Media Commission, told Black Press in 2019 in an interview touching on the Camosun training program and the impact a local studio could have.
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