Coffeemaker helps brew filmmaker’s interest in Niverville studio

The ribbon was cut at Jette Studios in Niverville.

The construction story of the 25,000-sq.-ft. film studio and soundstage is just part one of a Julijette production starring president Juliette Hagopian, with a supporting cast of municipal and provincial leaders in government and business, family, friends, and a rising star in the community who arrived from Ethiopia seven years ago.

Henok Negash helped Hagopian find the home for her state-of-the-art film production facility. He met the film producer and studio president when immigrating to Canada.

“Juliette is my sponsor mother and she sponsored my in 2003,” explained Negash.

“Since, she’s been here in my life and she’s been supporting me in everything I do. And I get a chance to bring her here.”

Hagopian saw her future in Niverville when Negash introduced her to the community.

“I just saw what happened to him, and how people supported him. They opened their arms and they said, ‘Do you want to do that? We’ll help you do that.’ And they helped him start his own business and now he’s starting another business,” said Hagopian.

Negash owns Negash Coffee. The Niverville coffee shop sells organic African coffee beans. His family also sells the beans online, and at co-ops, FoodFare, Sobeys and independent locations across southern Manitoba.

Negash, his wife Faisa and their four children were brewing up and giving out samples at the ribbon cutting March 28.

Along with the family and friends who helped Hagopian realize the first stage of her multi-part plan, a long line of others involved held the ribbon as it was cut.

The second phase is to have a larger soundstage be constructed near the new building at the corner of Provincial Road 311 and Wallace Road on the west end of town. Other long-term plans include outbuildings to house production offices, a carpentry mill, an online post-production facility with sound and video editing bays, and a 50-seat finishing theatre.

The construction is a sign of the fast-growing film industry in Manitoba boosted by very generous tax credits, according to Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson.

He was in Niverville for the ribbon cutting and said the industry directly contributed about $450 million to the Manitoba economy.

“But when you add elements like this (studio), all that does is it provides those moviemakers and filmmakers with additional resources. And it makes it more attractive to shoot films, and you’ve got the crews that have been developed here… all it’s going to do is help that to grow,” said Davidson.

The Manitoba film and video production tax credit is equal to at least 45 percent of eligible salaries paid for work performed on an eligible film. There are bonus tax credits of 10 percent for filming at least three films in two years, five percent on salaries for having a Manitoba resident as producer, and another five percent rural credit for filming at least half the movie or show 35 kilometres or more outside of Winnipeg.

Part of the idea of placing the soundstage in Niverville is to be able to do inside shooting and special effects closer to those rural location shoots.

Along with the tax credit, Davidson believes WestJet adding a direct flight from Winnipeg to LA in 2022 helped build Manitoba’s reputation as a place to make films.

“When you start developing that reputation as a community that you’re a good place to do film, and you’ve got good crews that are easy to work with, and you’ve got willing communities that are willing to host shoots – that welcome approach I think goes a long way,” said Davidson.

“It’s one of those industries and one of those economic drivers that’s been under the radar. I think when you see announcements like today, it will become a lot more profiled and the kind of thing that Manitobans will start to brag about: we are indeed Hollywood of the north.”

The soundstage plan was changed from a pop-up facility to its current solid cement form to hold Manitoba’s winter at bay, evident as the ribbon cutting took place during a spring snowstorm. The building is warmed from the floor up with underground heating.

The sheer size of the building, which is smaller than the planned second one, allows for bigger productions, according to Hagopian.

“Give a location to producers to come in and build the stages they need to build, the sets – two-storey homes, three-storey homes – so they have control. They don’t have to worry about weather or displacing people. And they create what they want,” said Hagopian.

-With files from Jordan Ross.