More film shoots headed for Windsor. A boon for recent grads and local trades, expert says

There are six films set to shoot in Windsor in the near future, according to Vincent Georgie.

The director of the University of Windsor's school for creative arts says they're "back-to-back-to-back shoots" of three to four weeks each.

And each has a budget of at least $1 million.

He says all six will be non-unionized, Canadian productions.

"This is really exciting because it's not a question of trying to attract some productions here," he said.

"These are six ... out of town productions that have come to Windsor here and are shooting," said Georgie, who is also the executive director of the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF). 

Recent graduates say local shoots mean they don't have to travel far to find work in the industry they love. 

"I think winter has a lot of potential to be a really good hub for film and in different things in this industry," said Owen Morrison, a recent graduate of the University of Windsor's Communications, Media and Film program. 

"I feel confident that it's going to grow."

Morrison has worked on three films and several commercials since graduating in June as a production assistant and grip, helping with lighting. 

"Any film or production that comes down here has the absolute amazing benefit of working with all these people that are just ready to work, they're ready to grow and help Windsor become a staple for film."

It's good news for local film and media graduates, however, Georgie says it also has implications for workers in trades.

"What's interesting is that if you're going to build some crews to work on the film, there's opportunity for upskilling and reskilling of people in our community as well."

"You need a lot of talented trades, people and technicians that might not have been from film, but those skills are very transferable into making a film."

Shahad Al-Haddad is another student who is a recent graduate of the university's film program. She has also worked on a number of short films, music videos and commercials since graduating in 2022. 

"It's great to see that we're finally getting some attention here."

Just like how downtown Toronto often famously passes for New York City in movie shoots, Georgie said there are locations in Windsor that are also attractive for film sets: Places in the county can look like the rural United States, for instance, he says.

"As long as you've got a variety of different locations depending on the type of shot, you'd be surprised what locations are attractive to [film]."