Surrey shatters filming record in 2016

Last year was a record shattering year for Surrey's film industry as thecity issued 170 film permits, a marked increase fromthe then-record 97 ithanded out in 2015.

"It's been a remarkable year," said Surrey film liaison James Monk. "Talking with my counterparts, I knew it would be a busy year but not as busy as this."

Surrey has hosted some major productions including the hit TV series Prison Break that was shot at Surrey city hall in June.

Why We're Killing Gunther, a film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was filmed in Cloverdale's historic district in August.

Skydance Media, the Hollywood production companyresponsible for blockbusters like Baywatch, Star Trek Beyond and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, opened a new studio in Newton in September.

The 75,000 square foot facility is where the new Netflix series Altered Carbon is being filmed.

"It's the current climate because of the low Canadian dollar, the tax incentives we have for the province as well as the wide variety of film locations that we have in Surrey," Monk said.

"In total for 2015, we had 193 film dates and in 2016 we had a total 265 film dates."

Looking ahead

When Monk returned to work on Jan.3 after a brief holiday, his voicemail was filled with messages from location scouts.

"It looks like we're going to have some upcoming filming days very shortly," he said.

"Some fairly big productions have already inquired about Surrey City Hall and some other productions have inquired about our libraries," he said.

Monk says if the Canadian dollar remains low, there is no reason why 2017 can't set a new film permit record.