OTTAWA, Dec. 21, 2024 – I was pleasantly surprised to see some beautiful footage of Ottawa in episodes 5 and 6 of Geek Girl when she visits the city with her father for a major fashion show. Trust me, it is truly a must watch! But, if you are like many Ottawa are residents, every time a holiday romance pops onto your TV screen you look in the background for landmarks of your hometown. If this genre is your jam, you may or may not know that several holiday romances were shot in Ottawa in 2024, including:
- Hot Frosty
- 24 Karat Christmas
- Falling Like Snowflakes
- Wild West Christmas
- My Sweet Austrian Holiday
- Various Hallmark Unwrapping Christmas films
Most productions, though not all, work with the Ottawa Film Office to secure local talent, locations and services. And, of course, more than just holiday films are shot here. By mid-December, the film office was on track to help generate the following numbers in Ottawa:
- $52 million spent on live action productions for crew, actors, hotels, equipment rentals, filming locations, vehicle rentals and catering.
- $15 million in labour and services on animated productions
- 650 filming days
- 30 feature-length films including 11 holiday movies
- 12 TV series
These numbers are actually up from 2023 which was marred by a couple of film industry labour disputes that you may have heard about.
Learn more by visiting the Ottawa Film Office(link is external) website where you can find a Google map(link is external) of Christmas movie filming locations.
The City of Ottawa plays an important role in making the film and TV industry work. In addition to funding the Ottawa Film Office, the City issues permits and arranges for logistics that could include:
- Road closures
- Traffic detours
- Facility closures
- Security
- Paramedics
- Parking
Those in the local film and TV business know that the City launched a new film permit portal in 2023 to make the application process go more smoothly for everyone.
In fact, the City of Ottawa has handed out almost 200 permits for live action productions in 2024.
Learn more about Filming in Ottawa.
Additionally, it goes without saying that if there is filming going on in this city, there are also job opportunities and productions are often in need of background players so to speak.
Looking for extras
Hey, do you want to be in the movies as an extra? Does your home or business want to be in the movies as a location? Is it okay if you make a few bucks doing it? If the answer is yes to any of these questions then reach out to the Ottawa Film Office(link is external) to find out how easy it is.
feature photo A film crew on the set of Hot Frosty. Photo credit: Petr Muir
by Terry Lankstead with notes from City of Ottawa
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