New Niverville film studio expects to bring lights, camera and economic action to rural Manitoba
25,000-square-foot studio will be space to 'make really whatever kind of environment you want': filmmaker
A film studio in a rural Manitoba town is ready for lights, camera and action, offering a new space to make everything from feature films to music videos — and it's expected to bring an economic boost to one of the province's fastest-growing communities.
Jette Studios in Niverville, a town of around 6,000 people that's 30 kilometres south of Winnipeg, is a dream that's been decades in the making, says Juliette Hagopian, a film producer and owner of the film production company Julijette, which is behind the project.
"It was a pretty big endeavour," said Hagopian, adding her vision was a space "where people would have the space so they could do the films they wanted to do, and they could come from anywhere in the world to do it."
The more than 25,000-square-foot studio, with 40-foot (12-metre)-high ceilings, had its official opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. It's expected to include high-tech features like a configurable surround LED screen, along with state-of-the-art production suites, according to Julijette's website.
Construction on the studio began last year. When plans for the studio were first announced in 2023, it was expected to involve a $30-million investment from the private sector, with the then Progressive Conservative government saying it would generate 300 new jobs over its first three years.
But there were challenges along the way, including flooding on the land Hagopian had initially intended to build on, which prompted a change of location.
On Friday, she declined to give an exact figure for the project's cost, but said it's a "mutimillion" dollar studio.
Producers filming at the studio can benefit from the provincial government's film production tax credit, Hagopian said.
But productions also bring an economic boost to the communities they work in, supporting other industries, she said.
"Not only film people benefit, but the communities in Manitoba, they'll all benefit," she said.
While the studio has just opened, Hagopian already has plans to expand it, if she can get the funding to do so.
"Everyone is always looking for a bigger stage," she said.
WATCH | New studio expected to boost Manitoba's film, TV industry:
Niverville Mayor Myron Dyck is looking forward to the economic spinoff from the studio, which he hopes will give young people in the rapidly growing town a chance to work in film and trades.
"We want to have reasons for our young people to feel inspired, and this being here just gives them another opportunity right in the community," he said.
Filmmaking has become a big business in Manitoba in recent years. Last summer, Manitoba Film and Music said the estimated production volume in the province for 2024 was a record-breaking $434.9 million.
Writer/director Shawn Linden, who has worked in the film industry for the last 20 years, said having a high-tech studio like Jette in Manitoba is a significant opportunity for filmmakers in the province.
"It's amazing that we're going to be able to have this kind of stuff at our disposal.… Soon this is just going to be a space where you can make really whatever kind of environment you want," he said.
"Places like this are popping up basically all over the world," said Linden. "It's great that we have one."
He hopes to use the studio this summer, when he plans to construct sets inside the Niverville building that will duplicate a Winnipeg location.
"That's one of the benefits of having a space," he said. "It's very exciting."
Kenny Boyce, the manager of film and special events for the City of Winnipeg, said it's important to build filming infrastructure in the province, especially given Manitoba's unpredictable weather. It will also take some pressure off filming locations in Winnipeg, he said.
For local creators, it also means having a large asset where they can film when visiting productions aren't rolling, giving more people a chance to tell their own stories, said Boyce.
"This is just what I think the community needed," he said. "It's high-tech —you can see by the scope and the size, it's just amazing, and it will only further, I think, our production values, and the amount and volume of the work that we do."
With files from Felisha Adam