It鈥檚 no secret that B.C. is a rising star in the global film industry.

Over the last 40 years, Vancouver has become one of North America鈥檚 major film production hubs.

B.C. locales 鈥� including in the Okanagan and Vancouver Island 鈥� have appeared in countless films and TV shows like Deadpool, Maid, Riverdale, Sonic the Hedgehog, Resident Alien and many more.

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There鈥檚 just one problem: B.C. cities and towns rarely star as themselves, instead, they鈥檙e often passed off as American cities and towns.

I put this question to Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC, and asked why doesn鈥檛 B.C. play itself more often? She told me that the province鈥檚 star-studded success is bolstered by its ability to be a 鈥榗hameleon鈥� on film.

鈥淲e offer a world of looks. It really makes us an irresistible destination for film production because you can come here and it鈥檚 a place where you could do your visual effects and post-production, but you can also go to the desert or the forest, you can be in an urban centre, you can go to the mountains.鈥�

The silver lining is that B.C. doesn鈥檛 have to play a leading role in films to experience benefits from the industry. Every year, the film industry brings in roughly $3.5 billion in economic activity and employs more than 70,000 people.

And in the moments when B.C. is part of the storyline, the province shines on the silver screen.

Just take a look at the 2021 Punjabi film Honsla Rakh, a rom-com starring Diljit Dosanjh as a single dad struggling to raise his son and find love in Canada. The film was shot and set entirely in Surrey and Vancouver. Since its release on Oct. 15, 2021, Honsla Rakh has become the highest-grossing Punjabi film of all time.

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Harpo Mander, who lives in the Lower Mainland, played a small role in the film as a receptionist at a yoga studio. Mander told me that she鈥檚 never seen her hometown shine on-screen before and it had a big impact on the South Asian community in Metro Vancouver.

鈥淓verybody knows there鈥檚 an incredible pool of talent here, but Honsla Rakh helped strengthen that vision to understand the creatives and artists out here have their own vibe,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes people around the world curious and it gets more eyeballs on our artists and creatives here.鈥�

Beyond its box office and critical success, Honsla Rakh also gave opportunities for local talent to be involved in all aspects of the film.

鈥淭hat really wove Surrey and Vancouver in like a thread through the entirety of the project instead of being just a backdrop of it.鈥�

B.C. has all the talent, experience, infrastructure and settings needed to create box office hits. We鈥檙e always happy to play any role, but it鈥檚 time for us to start showcasing ourselves and tell B.C. stories to the world.

cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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