Indigenous Production Studio Planned For Vancouver Island

Malahat Film Studio could be one of British Columbia’s largest film and television production campuses.

If plans go ahead the project would be on First Nation’s reserve land in Mill Bay. It is the product of a partnership between the Malahaet First Nation and Alpha Select Production Services. The studio would consist of 41 acres of a new business park in the area. Located northwest of Greater Victoria and on the west side of Saanich Inlet.

“Building on Indigenous land was the only way I could see that we could include Indigenous people. We are building on Malahat Nation reserve land, so it’s very exciting, and I love our partnership,” Beverley Dondale, the CEO of Alpha Select spoke with the Daily Hive about the project.

The Malahat First Nation see this project as a way to develop economically and to generate new jobs in the area. This is not the only upcoming major project for the community, they have partnered with Energy Plug Technologies to build a 100,000 gigafactory for making battery storage products.

The film studio upon completion could help generate over 1000 jobs in the local community. It would consist of three phases of building. When completed will include seven soundstage buildings totalling 230,000 sq ft of soundstage space. The plans also include 20,000 sq ft of production office space with 145,000 sq ft of workshop space.

Malahat Film Studio is not the only Indigenous-led film studio project in the pipeline. The Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations partnered with Aquilini Development to build a 450,000 sq ft film studio on the southern parcel of the 40-acre Willingdon Lands redevelopment next to BCIT Burnaby.

SOURCE: Dailyhive.com