The 2012/2013 production season was cut short. Only four projects were completed, two documentaries and two feature films. In 2012 Premier Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party cut the Film Tax Credit that provided support for both big and small productions by financially covering up to half of a production budget’s cost. Cutting this extremely effective support that brought so much business from all over the world to Saskatchewan had an immense impact.

I interviewed former Saskfilm SMPIA producer Nova Alberts. She worked in the business for almost 20 years and did many production jobs. I asked her, “What was it like working for the industry in those hard times leading up to the cuts. Were people sad, scared or optimistic for the future?”

Behind the scenes, employment was down as the industry struggled to compensate for other cuts that had been made in 2008-2011 provincial budgets. Many of the things that had enabled the Saskatchewan film industry to grow earlier in the decade had been slowly taken away, like the training program for crew and the provincial broadcaster SCN. People were starting to get worried, but there was also a feeling of confidence that the industry's talent and economic contributions would be recognized in time.

Mrs. Alberts said of the cuts in the fall of 2012.

The 2012 announcement of the tax credit cut came as a surprise and affected people much more dramatically than anything that had been lost before that. Everyone in the industry knew instantly how devastating the decision was and worked hard to help people understand. There was great shock, confusion, anger, and a lot of tears. An estimated 1200 families were suddenly out of work with no chance for future employment at home. Within months, many had to relocate their families to other provinces in order to be able to continue making a living. My family moved north to the Yukon where I took a role helping to build their film industry, until eventually deciding to return home to our family and retrain to work in another field.

The cuts completely devastated the industry. Gone was the opportunity for young filmmakers to create in Saskatchewan. 1200 lives were forced to uproot because their home province could no longer support them. The industry here, although not as large as Toronto or Hollywood, was extremely important and brought so much to the world of film. I asked Mrs. Alberts to explain what why the film industry was so important in Saskatchewan.

I grew up in Saskatchewan where people moved away to pursue their dreams, because there was little hope of achieving them here. I'd look up at the stars on a prairie night and know that one day I would leave them all behind for a career in the big city. The growth of the industry here created a Saskatchewan that allowed me to stay and be successful here at home. I could be a Television Producer, creating shows that aired around the world, and winning awards for Saskatchewan, making a living and doing it all from Regina, Saskatchewan where I could see my grandparents. The industry even brought many of my friends back home again after they had left, and it kept many more of them from leaving. The industry quite literally brought the stars to us, and made Saskatchewan a place to be from again.

The film industry shone a global spotlight on Saskatchewan and its people. Last I checked "Corner Gas" was the #1 series in all of Canada for all time, "Little Mosque on the Prairie" became the first sitcom to feature Muslim culture, "Moccasin Flats" told the story of North Central Regina, and became one of the first series led by Indigenous cast and crew. These were stories about Saskatchewan people, set, filmed and told by Saskatchewan people. And thanks to them Saskatchewan was a place that the world now knew how to pronounce, and even better, wanted to visit. Did you know people still travel through Rouleau, SK looking for the Dog River gas station? Almost 10 years after they finished filming....”

This is why the cuts came as such a surprise to the industry. The Tax Credit wasn’t hard for the government to uphold. Saskatchewan film was a proven successful industry and was generating millions of dollars for the economy. Saskatchewan has talent to work with and people willing to work hard to keep the business going. In my view it is a shame to choose to support other industries over the film industry in this province.