The Thompson Nicola Regional District is contemplating the idea of building a 20 thousand square foot film studio.

TNRD Board Chair Ken Gillis says it recently approved the spending of $35,000 to study that possibility.

“Full fledged film studio in our area and I’m really excited about it. We’ve talked about it for some time, there’s been some discussion as to whether or not it would be viable and now we’re going to find out if it would be viable.”

“The film industry has had a rough time of it in the last few months, but the film industry is one of the few things that has been helping to alleviate some of the difficulty experienced by some of our smaller communities. If they do get a film production into places like Litton or Cache Creek or particularly places like Merritt and Clinton where sawmill closures have devastated their local economies, having a film production move in there even for the short time that they’re there sometimes is a tremendous shot in the arm.”

Gillis says if the study shows that a studio would be viable for the district, then the real fundraising would begin.

The report to the board says that it is estimated that $30,000 is a sufficient budget for a feasibility study and $5,000 should be set aside for travel for a total budget of $35,000.

“In the last 12 months, numerous parties have expressed interest in pursuing having a film studio built in the Thompson-Nicola region. There is only anecdotal evidence, and opinions to support the pros and cons of when and where a studio should be built. Consequently, the film  commission would like to contract the services of a consultant to explore the feasibility of building a film studio in the Thompson-Nicola region in order to glean sound direction.”