Cambridge nominated for international award for work with The Handmaid's Tale

The city of Cambridge is being recognized as a rising star in film production, with an award nomination for its work with the television series The Handmaid's Tale.

Every year, the Location Managers Guild International award for "Outstanding Film Commission" honours filming destinations which go above and beyond for production crews. Cambridge has served as the backdrop for the award-winning dystopian drama series since 2017.

"We have kind of exploded within the past few years,"Devon Hogue, the city's Business Information Officer told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

• Cambridge locations used prominently in The Handmaid's Tale

A growing industry

And while it's been used as a filming location since the 1990s, Cambridge has had varying degrees of popularity over the years.

"Unfortunately due to staffing changes there wasn't as much of a focus on it in certain years," Hogue said.

She attributes the city's current popularity in part to spill-over from the growing film industry in Toronto, as production companies look for cheaper, better-suited locations that are still near the GTA.She said the community's support and enthusiasm arewhat makes Cambridge particularly popular.

"What I've seen personally is it just bolsters the community pride of place here in our community people. People absolutely love it," she said.

Historic home ready for its closeup

In 2019, the city of Cambridge has hosted film crews for over 30 days, with another 12 scheduled in August.

One of the filming projects scheduled for next month will be located at Forbes Estate. The historic home was recently renovated by Kitchener land development company Polocorp.

Since its renovation, Polocorp has been looking for ways to use the Forbes Estate. And while film production is not anticipated to be its primary designation, Polocorp's marketing officer Joseph Puopolo says he has plans to meet with location managers in Los Angeles later this month.

"I think we need to be thinking bigger as a community, thinking more internationally and trying to bring more people to our doorstep," he said.

Local businesses, especially in the hospitality industry, benefit greatly from film production, Hogue added. But her office is also taking measures to avoid burnout. Shoots are scheduled around other disruptions in the neighbourhood, such as construction.

The winner of the LMGI award will be announced on September 21.

This year, theCity of Cambridge Film Office wentup against some tough competition cities in New Zealand, Australia and the states of New York and California are all up for the same award.