Foreign shooting: Valerie Plante was invited to improve knowledge of Montreal

Montreal's mayor, Valéry Plante, visited Mel's studio on Thursday, where he was encouraged to pledge to promote his city's expertise in attracting foreign filming.

• Read more: Shooting overseas: Montreal loses its place in the sun

There was good news for the audiovisual sector in the Girard budget released in Quebec on Tuesday: an improvement in the tax credit for foreign filming, from 20 to 25%, which should help revive the enthusiasm of major international productions for the city.

“It makes Quebec more competitive, of course. It will allow us to canvas and attract more foreign filming,” judges Christine Maestrachi, president and CEO of the Quebec Cinema and Television Bureau.

We must now go and spread this good news that the industry has requested, including an invitation to the Mayor to visit Mel's Studio.

“We went to the studios to demonstrate the ability to host here in Montreal and, naturally, the quality of the infrastructure,” explained Patrick Jutras, President of Melz Studios.

“I think the mayor has a lot of interest in the industry. He participated in an economic mission in 2018 with a delegation from Quebec,” he continued, referring to the November 2018 visit of a delegation from Montreal to Los Angeles.

Currently, two major foreign productions are occupying Mel's Studios, a sign of some recovery after the writers' strike that crippled shooting for months last year.

The reality is that competition, mainly from Ontario, has caused Montreal to slip from No. 3 to No. 10 among cities where business is best, Ms. Maestracchi recalled.