When you think of the film and television industry, Hollywood may come to mind; however, four cities in Canada are among the MovieMaker Magazine’s top 10 best places in North America for filmmakers to live and work in 2022.

Toronto was named the #2 best big city for filmmakers to live and work in 2022, while Montreal was listed as #4, Vancouver was #6 and Calgary was ranked #10.

MovieMaker Magazine rated each city based on personal visits, the cost of production, recent productions and tax incentives.

Los Angeles (where Hollywood is located) and New York City were listed in their own special  “Hall of Fame” category due to their prominence in the film and television industry; then 25 of the best big cities for movie makers were ranked, with the top 10 including: #1 Albuquerque, New Mexico; #2 Toronto, Ontario; #3 Atlanta, Georgia; #4 Montreal, Quebec; #5 Boston, Massachusetts; #6 Vancouver, British Columbia; #7 Chicago, Illinois; #8 Austin, Texas; #9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and #10 Calgary, Alberta.

Toronto, Ontario

Toronto is one of the world’s top movie industry production hubs, home to Amazon Studios Canada, Netflix Canada and several sound stages.

There are about 10,000 actors and other members of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artists (ACTRA) in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto also has many experienced animators, game developers, directors, location managers, producers and production managers.

Some of the television shows and movies filmed in the Toronto area include American Psycho, Billy Madison, Brokeback Mountain, Cocktail, Dawn of the Dead, Double Impact, Fantastic Four, Fly Away Home, Goodwill Hunting, Gotti, It, Johnny Mneumonic, Jumper, K-19: The Widowmaker, Kick-Ass, La Femme Nikita, Moonstruck, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Pacific Rim, Police Academy, Pompeii, RED, Resident Evil, Rumor Has It, Suits, The Boondock Saints, The Recruit, The Shape of Water, Three Men and a Baby, Total Recall, True Lies, and Twister.

Montreal, Quebec

Montreal boasts more than 40 visual effects (VFX) studios, which makes the city a prime destination for post-production.

Examples of movies shot in the Montreal area include: 12 Monkeys, Batman & Robin, Catch Me If You Can, Get Smart, John Wick: Chapter 2, Lucky Number Slevin, Riddick, The Aviator, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Day After Tomorrow, The Freshman, The Jackal, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Notebook, The Terminal, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver has been nicknamed “Hollywood North” or “Canada’s Hollywood” for good reason.

Approximately 50,000 Canadian jobs in Vancouver are connected to the $2.8 billion film and television industry located there.

Vancouver Film Studios is among the biggest production facilities outside of Hollywood.

Furthermore, Mammoth Studios has one of the world’s biggest film stages.

Also in the Vancouver metro area is Bridge Studios in nearby Burnaby, which is home to one of North America’s biggest special effects stages.

There are 17 film schools in Vancouver, which also has the world’s biggest concentration of animation and VFX studios, including Animal Logic, Industrial Light & Magic, and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Examples of some of the many television shows and movies made in the Vancouver area include: 21 Jump Street, Apollo 18, Arrow, Battlestar Galactica, Continuum, Deadpool, Final Destination, Fifty Shades of Grey, Godzilla, Happy Gilmore, I Robot, Legends of the Fall, Lucifer, MacGyver, Midnight Sun, Minority Report, Night at the Museum, Riverdale, RoboCop, Scary Movie, Smallville, Star Trek Beyond, The Predator, Travelers, Twilight, X-Files,  and X-men.

Calgary, Alberta

During 2021, approximately $500 million was spent on production in the Calgary area, which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and other scenic filming locations.

Calgary is home to several animation and VFX studios, as well as production, post-production and audio companies.

Among the movies and television shows filmed in the Calgary area or elsewhere in Alberta are HBO’s Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, Inception, Legends of the Fall, Superman, Intersteller, The Bourne Legacy, The Revenant, Unforgiven, and War for the Planet of the Apes.

Canadian Jobs in Film & TV

The Canadian film and television industry accounts for approximately 244,500 jobs in Canada and contributes around $12.2 billion to Canada’s annual GDP.

So, if you dream of making it in Hollywood, you might consider moving to Canada!