Sudbury Studio Head David Anselmo looks back at the birth of Northern Ontario's film industry
When David Anselmo was attending school in Sudbury, the filmmaker wasn't on the list of options available to him as a guidance counselor.
Anselmo is currently Director of Production at Hideaway Pictures, Northern Ontario's first film production company, and Director of Strategic Development for Northern Ontario Film Studios (NOFS), the region's largest film studio.
“Growing up in Sudbury, we never had the opportunity to be filmmakers in the professional sense,” Anselmo said. sudbury.com. So he decided to change that.
His passion for filmmaking first began in his school's audiovisual club where he began making films with a video camera, and as he grew older, he began to immerse himself in the art of film and television across borders.
“I was forced to go abroad to pursue my career and the options were to go to Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver,” he said. “But various things led me to Europe and South Korea, where I spent about seven years in the film industry.”
Honing his craft meant learning and making important connections on set. It's also a bad thing that he was able to hone his acting skills by starring in The Host, one of South Korea's highest-grossing films directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho. isn't it.
“But I always miss home,” he said.
Feeling he had learned all he could, he returned to his roots when the appeal of northern Ontario grew enough.
But here in Sudbury, not much had changed.
“I was here and I wanted to be a director, I wanted to make films, but I realized that there was no service here that could meet the demands of film companies, so I inevitably went in a different direction. ” Anselmo said.
He needed to build the infrastructure before making the film.
In 2009, Anselmo came up with the idea for NOFS. Three years later, in 2012, Hideaway Pictures and his NOFS opened, taking over what was previously known as Max Silverman Arena (later renamed Barry Down Arena).
NOFS includes a 16,000 square foot main stage floor, onsite and offsite production offices, hair and makeup room, prop store, craft kitchen, laundry facility and 3,000 square feet of office space.
With the studio backing more than 150 films and an expansion into the North Bay in 2016 with two properties and a 60-acre backlot, Anselmo's company is responsible for an estimated $300 million in direct economic spending in the region. It's here.
But convincing others that northern Ontario could be a film and television capital wasn't easy.
“When you come up with something unique and different, you're met with resistance and sometimes with laughter,” Anselmo says. But his family and friends told him, “If you keep working hard toward the end goal you want to achieve, you will eventually make a breakthrough and start convincing people.''
So that's what he did.
Additionally, Anselmo credits then-Mayor Marianne Matichuk, then-City Councilor Fabio Belli, and former Sudbury District Chamber of Commerce President Bob He said there were three people, Mr. Bateman. His vision for Northern Ontario's film industry has become a reality.
While businesses and industries plan for difficult times, many did not consider the possibility of a global pandemic. Mr Anselmo said the pandemic had proven what an economic driver the northern film industry could be.
“At a time when every other industry was still shutting down and stopping, we were able to recover in five or six months, produce films in Northern Ontario, and spend money on hotels, restaurants, catering and rental cars. ” he said.
In fact, Hideaway Pictures shot three movies in 2020.
“We're welcomed with open arms, and we've always been welcomed with open arms, but we're even more welcomed,” Anselmo said. “With hotels having 100% vacancy and restaurants closing, we were able to provide them with the support they needed to get through the difficult times.”
He said this was because the film industry adopted protocols almost immediately.
“We believe we have put together a set of protocols that have made us one of the safest industries during the pandemic,” he said. “Daily and weekly testing, mask mandates, hygiene mandates, we were able to get through it and continue working with only a few delays.”
Over the years, NOFS has housed such notable productions as Resident Evil, V Wars, Born to Be Blue (starring Ethan Hawke), and Zombie Town (starring Dan Ackroyd and Chevy Chase).
And they were all produced in Northern Ontario, with primarily northern staff.
“Our core team is all from Northern Ontario, and we have grown our talent domestically rather than bringing in expertise from outside the region,” Anselmo said. “That's one of our obligations to production companies and film studios. We make films that last, and the only way to make films that last in the North is to create talent that lasts in the North. .”
Anselmo said those who come from out of town have one thing in common: how much they love working in the Nickel City and upstate.
“One of the things they took away from this production was how great the community was and how great the staff was to work with,” Anselmo said. “And that's our biggest asset.”
To support that asset, Ms. Anselmo continues to provide education to Northerners who wish to discuss film and television as a career with career guidance counselors.
He has also built a career like that.
NOFS created more than 2,000 full-time equivalent jobs. This means that although the position is contract, the hours worked are equivalent to full-time employment.
But most of all, Ansremo said, being at home makes home a better place, which brings him joy.
“At the end of the day, I'm really happy to be able to live at home, be close to my friends and family, and be able to do what I've always been passionate about,” he said.
“What gets me out of bed in the morning is seeing 15-year-olds and 10-year-olds coming to set as background performers or walking down the street and seeing the work and being inspired. Or maybe they're in awe of the lights and the camera and wonder if there's an easier way to accomplish something they're passionate about.”
He said that while numbers and economic development were important, what was important to him was the “cultural and spiritual impact” the industry had.
“When a famous actor comes to your city, how do you feel about that, how proud do you feel to see your city on the silver screen? This is an impact that we don't talk about enough.” He said.
If you, like Anselmo, are interested in the film and television industry, he wants you to seek help.
“What I would say to people is, if you have the passion to be a film director, contact us and get in touch with different organizations,” he said. “We will guide you in the right direction so you can start your career in this industry.”
And if he's lucky, he'll be able to focus his career on the North.
For more information about Northern Ontario Film Studios, please visit their website here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter for Sudbury.com.
