The Oscars And The Canadian Movie Industry

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony will be celebrated this Sunday, March 4, 2018 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, as hundreds of Hollywood’s biggest stars gather to honor the best films of 2017 and the people behind them. It’s the movie industry’s biggest night of the year and although it’s based in the U.S., it’s also greatly tied to the Canadian movie industry. You see, Canada is a very popular spot for many Hollywood executives as the location of choice for both movies and TV shows. Producers have realized that a trip north could easily double as anywhere in the United States – doubling for middle America or transforming into a bustling metropolis like New York City.

But besides being able to look like many cities in the States, Canada is also a huge draw for producers because it’s less expensive to shoot movies and shows, which is actually a huge reason why many of Hollywood’s biggest movies are shot in Canada. Because of this major benefit, the Oscars have a history of many nominated films that were actually shot in Canada! This year alone, a few Canadians were able to bask in the news that “The Shape of Water” was a highly regarded movie for 2017, racking up 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. One of its producers, a Toronto native, considered the film’s leading Oscar nominations as a tribute and “unprecedented” win for Canadian talent.

According to producer J. Miles Dale, not only was the film shot in Toronto, Canada, but besides the director, Guillermo del Toro, the cinematographer and a few of the actors, every one else involved with the film was a Canadian native, proving that this type of recognition from Hollywood on the industry’s biggest night is huge for Canadians and the country’s movie industry.

Not only was it this year’s most favored picture, but was just one Oscar nomination shy for tying the record with other huge Oscar-nominated films like “La La Land,” “Titanic” and “All About Eve.” This feat is just an indication of what the landscape of Canadian films currently is and its impact on Hollywood. The movie business in the States is now recognizing Canada for its vast potential in movies and realizing that they are just as equal to anywhere else, which is huge news for Canadians in the business!