Calgary Film Industry: Incentives Propel to Top 4 Spot

CALGARY — Calgary just clawed its way up the film industry food chain, landing at number four on MovieMaker Magazine's 2026 list of best places to live and work as a filmmaker. Mayor Jeromy Farkas announced the bump on January 26, 2026, marking the city's latest climb from fifth in 2025 and eighth back in 2024.

The rise isn't luck. It's money, location, and timing.

The Money Play

Calgary's surge comes down to cold, hard incentives—specifically the Alberta Film and Television Tax Credit (FTTC), which hands back either 22% or 30% on eligible production costs. But here's the kicker: back in March 2021, the province ditched the $10 million per-project cap. Translation? Big-budget productions that used to skip Calgary now see dollar signs.

Add in the Alberta Made Screen Industries Program, which pulled $5.4 million of the province's $8 million screen commitment in 2025, and you've got a city waving cash at Hollywood North wannabes.

The Crew and the Canvas

Calgary's pitch isn't just financial. The city offers experienced crews and locations that can double for almost anywhere—mountains, prairies, urban sprawl. That versatility matters when you're trying to lure productions away from the usual suspects.

And lure them they have. Calgary Economic Development (CED) logged the highest number of location scouting requests in a decade during the first quarter of 2025. Phones are ringing. Scouts are showing up. The creative sector already pumped $1.33 billion into Calgary's GDP in 2022, and the momentum hasn't stalled.

The New Sheriff

Adnaan Wasey took over as Calgary Film Commissioner at CED on August 1, 2025. Six months in, his specific strategies remain under wraps—no public playbook yet on how he plans to keep Calgary climbing. The Calgary Film Commission, which operates under CED, handles the courtship: attracting productions, smoothing logistics, selling the city.

Overseeing the provincial side is Tanya Fir, Alberta's Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, who controls the tax credit and grant machinery.

The Fight for First

Here's the reality check: Calgary's fourth-place finish still puts it behind the heavyweights. Toronto sits at number one. Vancouver, despite slipping to sixth, still commands massive production spend. Both cities operate with their own provincial war chests, and they're not rolling over.

Calgary's total production spend for 2025? Not released. Whether the province plans to sweeten the FTTC pot in the upcoming Alberta Budget 2026? No word. The city's climbing, but the ladder's crowded, and the top rungs cost serious cash.

For now, Calgary's bet is simple: keep the incentives competitive, keep the crews sharp, and keep the scouts coming. Fourth place pays bills. First place pays empires.