A new holiday movie about to debut in the U.S. was shot right here in the Forest City, and came to life thanks to an filmmakers incentive fund that is being renewed for two more years.
In a bid to keep film and television production companies coming to work in the Forest City, the the city’s film office is extending a $700,000 pilot incentive fund for two more years. The money is intended to compensate production companies for the extra costs of filming in London as opposed to the Greater Toronto Area.
The fund is part of what drew Toronto-based Neshama Entertainment to shoot Very Merry Mystery in London last summer. They did 14 days of intense shooting in London using multiple locations, including Old South, King’s University College and the Elsie Perrin Williams Estate.
It will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network this weekend, and will also be released on HBO Max.
The crews enjoyed working in London, with the incentive fund helping to cover the extra costs that come with working outside of Toronto, said Kelly Peckham, co-founder of London-based film production company Broad Films, who worked on the film.
“It’s very expensive for hotels, per diems, and other costs. Without that fund, they wouldn’t be working here,” said Peckham. “They really want to be working here. They want to turn London into a hub of filming and that fund will allow us to do that with them.”
The money, funded through the city’s municipal accommodation tax, reimburses film production companies for money they’ve spent shooting in London. The fund was a one-year pilot project set to expire at the end of this year.
Incentive crucial, says filmmaker
Peckham said the incentive is crucial to keep companies working here while London builds up its staffing and infrastructure to support more productions.
“Our production partners have been waiting for this announcement,” said Peckham. “Without this fund, they just simply wouldn’t be coming. They do a lot of their work in Hamilton or Toronto and for them to come this way and bring in the talent that we need and don’t have yet … It’s very expensive.”
The fund is the latest step the city has taken to support the film industry. The city set up a film office, called Film London, in 2021.
They want to be working here. They want to be turning London into a hub of filming.- Kelly Peckham, co-founder, Broad Films
London’s Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis sits on Tourism London’s board of directors. He spent some time on the set of Very Merry Mystery, even appearing in a few scenes as a background actor.
Lewis said the film’s impact on the local economy was evident.
“I saw the money they spent locally to bring in lunch and on the set dressings at local shops,” he said. “We’re building an infrastructure here that’s been very successful, and that has caught people’s attention.”
Lewis said incentives for outside film companies will pay off as London becomes more established as a film location. He pointed to other benefits of enticing film companies to London, such as giving students from Fanshawe College’s film program hands-on experience working on set.
Lewis and Peckham said both London offers a good variety of shooting locations, allowing production companies to gather what they need quickly in a tight timeline.
The Amazon Prime series Motorheads used London’s Blackfriars Bridge as a shooting location in 2024. (Matthew Trevithick/CBC News)
Last summer Blackfriars Bridge was used in an Amazon Prime series called Motorheads.
Also in 2024, London’s Labatt Memorial Park was used as a location for the baseball movie You Gotta Believe starring Luke Wilson.
Lewis, a council member known for applying scrutiny to spending items, admits he was skeptical when Film London was set up with $300,000 in annual city funding in 2021.
He’s now convinced it’s been money well spent. Last year Lewis and every other city council member voted in favour of extending the city’s film office funding to 2027.
“I was doubtful about it at first, I thought it really was a gamble, but now I’m a believer,” said Lewis. “I wasn’t confident it was going to pay off but now I’m happy to say I was proven wrong.”
Lewis also points out the money for the incentive fund comes from the municipal accommodation tax, a pool of money funded as a tax on hotel stays.