Hamilton sets a new record for film and TV productions in 2022
Lights! Camera! Action!
The City of Hamilton set a new record for film productions in 2022.
This may not be surprising as Hamilton is one of the busiest cities in Ontario for film and television production. The previous record had been set in 2021 and the city's film office reported growing interest in Hamilton last spring.
The city had 177 productions rolling cameras across Hamilton last year, compared with 152 in 2021. That's a 16 per cent increase, the city's film office notes.
Hamilton had a number of big Hollywood stars filming here, including Richard Gere and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The film and TV companies reportedly spent about $72,804,040 in Hamilton last year, compared to $69,611,205 in 2021. The film office says that is a five per cent increase.
The City of Hamilton issued 986 film permits for the various productions, helping them to shoot on city streets or in parks or such. That compared with 816 permits in 2021. That's a 21 per cent increase.
2022 was another record breaking year for film and television volumes in Hamilton," Kim Adrovez, senior project manager of the city's film office said in a statement to The Spectator.
Our diverse architecture, natural beauty and wide array of regional amenities continue to keep Hamilton in high demand for filmmakers."
The year 2019 had 141 productions. The year 2020, which saw productions shutdown from March to June because of the pandemic, had 113 productions.
The film office said it does not keep stats on local employment regarding film and TV productions, but noted a 2018 report by Creative Industries indicated there are approximately 9,000 Hamiltonians who work in the film industry.
The province said in March of last year that Ontario had 394 TV and film productions in 2021. This created about 48,000 full-time jobs and contributed about $2.9 billion to the economy.
Productions included:
- THE LONGING - This film stars Richard Gere as a man who searches for the story of a dead son he never knew he had. It is an English remake of a 2017 Israeli comedy-drama and filmed here in the fall. Some of its locales included Queen Street South, Barton Street East, Delta Secondary School, John Street Diner and Seventy-Seven Club.
- UTAP - Arnold Schwarzenegger was in town filming this spy series in the summer for Netflix. It is a sequel to the 1994 film True Lies." The action star filmed on Brockley Drive, Valens Conservation Area and at the former Lloyd George School on Beach Road.
- DREAM SCENARIO - Nicolas Cage filmed scenes for this comedy-horror in Burlington in November. He filmed at The Russell Williams Family Restaurant in Aldershot and at a nearby home on North Shore Boulevard.
- RABBIT HOLE - Kiefer Sutherland filmed scenes for this Paramount Plus spy series in the summer. It filmed at such places as the Royal Connaught Hotel, Gore Park, St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic Secondary School, Amelia Street, Keith Street and Barton Street East.
- THE BIG CIGAR - This Apple TV Plus series filmed in July and August. It is about Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Long and his escape to Cuba from an FBI dragnet in the 1970s. Some episodes were directed by Don Cheadle. It filmed at such places as Hamilton City Hall, Trocadero Restaurant, The Cotton Factory and the Iron Horse Saloon.
- BLACKBERRY - This shot in Hamilton during the summer and is about the founding of Research In Motion (RIM) and the creation of the iconic BlackBerry device. It starred Jay Baruchel as co-founder Mike Lazaridis and Glenn Howerton as co-CEO Jim Balsillie. It shot scenes at Empire Steel, FirstOntario Centre and the Russell Williams Family Restaurant.
Other productions included: The Handmaid's Tale," Children Ruin Everything," Canada's Drag Race," Strays," Murdoch Mysteries," Flint Strong," Fellow Travelers," The Hardy Boys," Run The Burbs," Witch Mountain" and the Priscilla Presley biopic Priscilla."
Daniel Nolan is a freelance writer who writes about film for The Hamilton Spectator. He can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com