The City of Brantford looks to claim accolade for transformation during filming of The Handmaid’s Tale

Brantford benefitting from film industry From CTV Kitchener’s Stephanie Villella: Brantford has benefitted from a pandemic shift in the film industry.

The City of Brantford is nominated for a Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) award for its work with The Handmaid’s Tale in November 2020.

The Handmaid’s Tale was filmed on Queen Street and Colborne Street, transforming parts of the downtown to resemble Chicago as a future dystopian world.

The city is nominated in the Outstanding Film Commission category, going up against five other films from around the world.

Winners will be announced at the LMGI Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Aug. 27.

“It’s very exciting for Brantford to be recognized on the international stage,” says Kevin Dekok, economic development officer for the City of Brantford in a media release. “This nomination honours the many people who collaborated on this project – local businesses, community partners, city staff and leadership, as well as the production’s locations team – and highlights why Brantford continues to attract film investment.”

The City of Brantford says months of planning and days of filming transformed the setting into a sequence of visually amazing scenes on screen.

The city marked a record-breaking year in 2021 for film as twelve projects used Brantford as a backdrop.

According to the city, since 2018, steps to become increasingly film-friendly have been undertaken.

"Last year alone the film industry brought 12 projects to Brantford resulting in an estimated $1.16 million in related budgets, $220,000 in City billed costs and revenues, nearly 1,500 hotel room nights and about 116 days of filming activity," the city says.

The other films nominated in the category are as follows: