B.C.'s movie industry got a boost Friday as the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation officially opened its doors at Capilano University's North Vancouver campus.
Home to the largest full-time four-year production-oriented film degree program in Western Canada, the architectural-award-winning, 6,662 square-metre centre offers the facility to produce live-action and animated movies from idea to final releasable production.
"Capilano University's film and animation facility will help students get the crucial job skills they'll need to be competitive in the industry," said Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education, who was at the opening.
The project was first announced in 2009 with $30.2 million fund under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a joint federal-provincial program designed to renew post-secondary infrastructure in B.C. while also providing local jobs.
The Bosa Centre aims to become one of the top film and animation teaching facilities in North America. It will also benefit local industry professionals who will be able to use the facility for skills upgrading and low-budget productions.
"This is an industry that employs 35,000 people and injects more than $2 billion annually into the provincial economy," said Peter Leitch, president of North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios.
"Capilano University's film and animation programs produce graduates capable of strengthening the industry's growth, and the Bosa Centre will ensure that students and industry workers alike are provided with the necessary tools for creating excellence in their productions."
