Film makers snag tax credit money to make 'Wolfcop' flick

The producers of Wolfcop have found a way to shoot their film in Regina and Moose Jaw using financial incentives from the province's old Film and Video Employment Tax Credit program.

Wolfcop was the winner of a Canada-wide promotional contest, sponsored by CineCoup, for burgeoning film makers. That win sprang $1 million for the production budget.

The film makers were keen to shoot in Saskatchewan and figured the best way for that to happen was to leverage money from the province's incentive program. But the tax credit was axed months ago.

The producers discovered, however, that the old program still had some projects in the works.

"One of our partners already had a horror movie approved under the tax credit system," Bill Marks, a production executive at CineCoup, said. "And Wolfcop fit the bill nicely under the rules and we were able to put Wolfcop under the existing program."

Marks said the timing was a key element in getting to use the incentive.

"They have a closing, diminishing window in which time to utilize those credits but they're there," he said, adding he hopes the film industry is active in the future. "I would think they should keep making movies here. That's what we want to see."

Casting is underway for the movie, under the direction of Lowell Dean, and the film makers are scouting locations.

The production schedule has a start date of Oct. 7 with a last day of filming set for Hallowe'en, befitting a movie with a supernatural theme.

The story is set in a Saskatchewan-like town called Woodhaven. It follows alcoholic cop Lou Garou — a play on "loup garou," which is french for werewolf — who is subject to blackouts. It was pitched as a comedy-horror.