Many Vancouver visitors don't know that Vancouver has a booming film industry or that movies have been made in Vancouver since the 1930s. Currently, BC's thriving film industry is the third largest film production center in North America.

If you want to know what's going on while you're in town, read the 'BackLot' column published in the Vancouver Sun on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It will catch you up on local happenings and gossip in the Vancouver film world.

To find out which productions are currently being shot in Vancouver, or to find out about being an extra in a production, check out the frequently updated BC Film Commission Film List

Watching A Film Shoot If you'd like to watch a movie shoot, look for clues that indicate that a movie is being shot nearby.
Day glow pink, orange or green arrows tacked to trees, fences and telephone poles point you in the right direction. These arrows have an abbreviated name of the production written on them.
A long line of large white trucks parked where you wouldn't expect them.
American flags, mail boxes or a lot of cars with American license plates indicate a movie location. So do an unusually large number of old or unusual vehicles

Local Film, Video, Television, Animation and Screen Writing Schools

Vancouver is a great place to study film, video, music, animation making and production, and screen writing not only because there's plenty of hands-on experience available but also because Vancouver has excellent educational facilities for media related courses of study.

• One on One Film and Video Training
• First Step Actors Workshop
• British Columbia Institute of Technology
• Capilano College
• The Art Institute of Vancouver
• Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design
• Praxis
• Simon Fraser University
• University of British Columbia
• Vancouver Film School
• Vancouver Institute of Media Arts