While fans gawk at Hollywood celebrities, and while cinephiles line up for hours to see hotly anticipated movies, Buffalo's Film Commissioner is bouncing around Toronto with one goal in mind: to convince filmmakers to produce their next movie in Western New York.
"[Toronto] is so close it would be crazy not to be here," Tim Clark, Buffalo-Niagara Film Commissioner said.
During his time at the Toronto International Film Festival, Clark is hosting a reception with movie producers to teach them about what Western New York offers as a filmmaking destination.
"Western New York has got some amazing architecture, amazing crew base, and all the fundamentals that a filmmaker and a filmmaking team would need," Clark said.
This past summer, Buffalo played host to the production of the film "Marshall" starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad and Kate Hudson. The city's historic architecture was undoubtedly a big reason why film crews wanted to set the film in Buffalo, but a major part of the decision was also New York State's film production tax credit.
Production companies can receive a fully refundable tax credit of up to 40 per-cent of qualified production costs if they make their movie in Western New York.
"That's really what drives the industry right now. When [filmmakers] decide where they're going to shoot, it's often the accountants who decide where they're going to go," Clark said.
"We've been poised and ready, and I think our moment to shine has really come now."
