PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Montreal, February 4, 2021 – As it has done every year since its inception, the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC) has published the year-end results for foreign productions filmed in Quebec, visual effects and animation.
While these three sectors had seen increasingly strong growth for several years—with visual effects growing exponentially—2020 highlights the impact of the health crisis on the audiovisual industry.
Foreign productions were down nearly 50% compared to 2019, with economic benefits decreasing from $360M to $189M this year. This drop is largely due to the complete stoppage of filming that affected the entire audiovisual industry between March and July 2020.
As the QFTC expected, having conducted regular surveys of the audiovisual industry throughout 2020, the sector was also highly impacted by the crisis, with economic benefits decreasing from $622M in 2019 to $390M in 2020.
Finally, the animation sector, in contrast, experienced a less dramatic decline, with economic benefits dropping from $193M to $159M. This was mainly due to the quick implementation of remote work arrangements, as well as the fact that workers in this sector do not need to leave the studio to film. It’s worth noting that it takes 2 to 3 years on average to complete an animation project.
“Not surprisingly, the results for 2020 highlight the atypical nature of the year and the particularly difficult context experienced by all stakeholders in the industry. I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary work done by all our partners in adjusting to these unprecedented circumstances. This applies both to visual effects and animation, where, within a few weeks, everyone was able to work remotely and safely, and to the film production sector, which wasted no time in implementing health measures complying with public health requirements, which made it possible to resume filming during the summer in a safe environment. Thanks to these different factors and the possible continuation of filming activities, we can certainly expect improved results for the year to come. We remain cautious!” Pierre Moreau, CEO of the QFTC
About the QFTC
The QFTC is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 that contributes to the development and competitiveness of Quebec as a world-class multi-screen production centre. As an economic development agency, its mission is to generate investment in Quebec through competitive tax incentive programs, the expertise of industry members, architectural diversity, the quality of its infrastructure and the industry’s ability to export its products to foreign markets.
The QFTC is supported by its partners: Air Canada, National Bank of Canada, BFL Canada, Corporate Stays, Demers Beaulne, difuze, EP Canada, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Hôtel Gault/Monville, Hybride, Miller Thomson, Grande Studios, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Rodeo FX, William Gray Hotel and Mount Stephen Hotel, as well as federal, provincial and municipal governments.
For more details, visit www.qftc.ca.
Informations
Aurore Lagonotte
Communications Manager
aurore@bctq.ca
