Northern Ontario Film Studios (NOFS) is moving to the head of the class with a partnership with Collège Boréal that will train the professionals needed to supply the television and film industry in Northern Ontario.

NOFS and Collège Boréal have teamed up in a new public-private partnership to offer students in the region new specialized programs focused on hands-on film and television production to help meet the increasing need of qualified local workforce in this growing economic sector. The Set Etiquette course begins in November, Boréal said in a news release.

NOFS is the first Northern Ontario 20,000-square-foot production facility located at the former Barrydowne Arena. Its CEO, David Anselmo, emphasized the numerous benefits for Northern Ontario.

“The support and encouragement of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) through its Emerging Technology Program has created the need for more services and crew base that can handle the steady increase in film and television production,” Anselmo said. “With a workforce trained at Collège Boréal and our current facility, NOFS is offering one location with turnkey service, a broad array of Northern locations and production expertise, developed locally, to satisfy the specific needs of film and television production.

“Collège Boréal also offers a diversity of programs throughout the North with facilities at the heart of a region that meets the expectations of worldwide production. This is evidenced by the current filming of The Returned, a Spanish co-production, Be My Valentine, a Hallmark Channel MOW along with regional films like Cas & Dylan, Deadweight and Dark Rising.”

Daniel Giroux, vice-president Academic forCollège Boréal, said Boréal intends to carry out its mandate as a community college by offering training that produces a qualified workforce in this booming entertainment industry in Northern Ontario.

“Our strong collaboration with Northern Ontario Film Studios, our current discussions with the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) and related unions of the film and television industry are very promising for the quality of the future workforce.”