Dear Mr. Wall,

As a film director who has filmed in Saskatchewan I am quite shocked to be hear that the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit has been cancelled.

In 2004 our company shot Tideland, starring Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly, Janet McTeer, Jodelle Ferland and Brendan Fletcher in Regina and the Qu’Appelle Valley. We were there for many months. We provided considera ble employment for local professionals. We brought in many skilled people from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal to work with and train the local crews who were keen to learn new skills and improve their old ones. We left behind new talent that had been given a chance to enter the industry. We spent large sums of money renting studios and living quarters, buying supplies, hiring equipment, and dining in some fine restaurants. All of this added considerably to the local economy and brought a fresh vibrancy to the communities we worked in.

And, please, let’s not forget the taxes that the government received from all this increased activity and employment. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, one I will remember for a long time. I continue hunting for other projects that will provide a chance to return.

But, beside the beautiful country and hardworking crews, the reason we chose Saskatchewan, rather than other possibilities, was the tax credit offered to us. Without that encouragement, very simply, we would not have shot in Saskatchewan.

I have watched over the years other cities and countries that have made the mistake of reducing or eliminating tax credits. After a few years they are usually reinstated by the next government. Not only does film making provide work and taxes but, films are a tremendous advertisement for the locations where the film was shot. There are an awful lot of tourists who want to walk where the stars roamed.

I hope you will reconsider the decision and not wait until the next government gets the credit for doing so.

Yours,

Terry Gilliam

Director: Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King, Twelve Monkeys, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, Tideland, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus