Screen Lethbridge: Why Lethbridge is Alberta's Next Big Filmmaking Destination
- Nick Bohle
- Feb 19
- 12 min read
Updated: Feb 20
A gem in the rough
For decades, southern Alberta has been one of the film industry’s best-kept secrets. We've got the sweeping coulees, the iconic High Level Bridge, and a downtown that can double for almost any era. We're less than an hour from foothills, golden fields, lakes, rivers and so much more. But for a long time, bringing a production to Lethbridge meant navigating a maze of red tape without a central map (it may have just blown away) and no helpers on the ground to make the lift.
That all changed with the launch of the Screen Lethbridge initiative in September 2025.
Now, as we roll into 2026, the secret is officially out. Lethbridge isn't just a scenic detour from Calgary anymore—it’s rapidly becoming Alberta's next big filmmaking destination. At HatChap Productions, we've had a front-row seat to this evolution, and here is why you need to take note and bring your next project to the Windy City.
The "Screen Lethbridge" Impact
Before late 2025, if you wanted to shoot a professional film in Lethbridge, you were stuck applying for a generic "special events" permit. You had to answer questions meant for parade organizers and hot dog vendors, which wasted precious pre-production time.
The launch of the Screen Lethbridge initiative—spearheaded by the City of Lethbridge and Economic Development Lethbridge—changed the game entirely.
Streamlined Permitting: We now have a dedicated, filmmaker-friendly permitting process and a central database of public and private locations.
City Support: With dedicated film service support from the city, location managers and producers can easily book properties and focus on their creative vision.
Economic Growth: As a multi-hundred-million dollar industry in Alberta, this initiative ensures Lethbridge gets its fair share of the provincial pie, making the logistics of shooting here smoother than ever. In 2022 Alberta reached approximately $550 million in total budget spend, a high water mark so far. In 2023 that number was $246 millions due in part to writers and actors strikes. In any case, that's a big pie.
In the greater Alberta film industry each jurisdiction and/or municipality acts as a team member in the Alberta film economy pie shop - Let's call it "Reel Pies." The more capable each baker (jurisdiction) is, the larger the pie we're able to collectively make. The launch of Screen Lethbridge is effectively our city moving from "amateur baker" to an "apprentice." Reel Pies is a growing business. It strengthens our local film industry while opening up more potential for the province as a whole.
In this industry, time is money. Having civic infrastructure geared specifically toward the fluid needs of a film set is the foundation of a booming local industry.
Locations You Can't Fake (or Afford in the Big City)
Alberta has the scenery, but Lethbridge has the cost-competitive edge. When you shoot here, you get access to a stunning and diverse visual canvas without the premium price tag of saturated markets like Vancouver, Toronto, or even Calgary.
The Coulees & The Bridge: The dramatic, prehistoric topography of the river valley and the imposing steel structure of the High Level Bridge (the largest bridge of its kind IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE) offer epic cinematic backdrops.
Historic Downtown: Need a gritty 1990s street corner or a timeless brick facade? Lethbridge's downtown architecture is highly versatile and significantly cheaper to lock down for a shoot.
The Elements: Yes, we have to talk about the legendary Lethbridge wind. Instead of fighting it, smart filmmakers use it. Locals know the rhythm of it and how to adjust production activities and techniques to continue moving on windy days. It adds unparalleled kinetic energy to the frame, bringing a wild, authentic atmosphere to your exterior scenes that wind machines could only dream of recreating.
The Nuance: Small communities give the eclectic, the odd and the peculiar a chance to breathe and blossom. Lethbridge has some very strange areas, both natural and constructed, that demand stories to be told on screen. Flooded and dried overflow river beds adorned with a few dozens cones of stacked logs that make up shelters scattered throughout the mud-cracked basin. A daunting structure; a fortress, made up of bike frames, spring mattresses, chicken wire, action figures, dolls, traffic signs and more that seems to be gathering detritus and growing like an organism every year.
The Natural Environment: Dense and lush early-summertime coulees that rise hundreds of feet from the Oldman River like enormous rolling ocean waves. Brick-red mud rock spires that emerge from the hilltops like boils. Sunshine for days even through the winter. Chinooks that blaze the snow away weeks before Calgary emerges from the freeze. There's literally an entire month per year of warmer weather in Lethbridge than there is in Calgary - about two weeks on each side of winter. The Rocky Mountains chop the western horizon as if it was a page ripped out of an artists sketch book. The city is, in truth, actually quite beautiful, as long as you know where to focus your attention.
And you can get to EVERY location in town in around 20 minutes or LE$$.
Speaking of money
Did you know that the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Media Fund, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and many other provincial and national funders have recently noticed, "Holy smokes, guys. We haven't really given a lot of money to those southern Alberta folks down in Lethbridge." This is big news because it means that these funders want to give money to projects that leverage Lethbridge local talent, stories, infrastructures and more.
This improves chances for funding when the plan is centred around Lethbridge. It also means that there is a wave of professional development, infrastructure and support funding flowing into the city from private and public sources.
This isn't just me trying to convince you to bring your productions here - by all means bring your productions here - but what I'm saying is that there's never been a better and more likely time to activate public and private funding for your Lethbridge based project.
But money is only good if you have the talent to make it count.
The Talent Pool is Already Here
There is a persistent myth that if you shoot south of Calgary, you have to import your entire crew and cast. That simply isn't true anymore. Lethbridge is home to a rapidly expanding ecosystem of union accredited creative professionals. The Lethbridge Independent Film Society has been developing and gathering a list of "local filmmaker and technicians" for years now. You can find the application link on the LIFS website at www.lifs-ab.com. The list is an effort for LIFS to understand and cultivate the capacity that exists here in Lethbridge.
As the Treasurer of the organization I can confirm that there is a substantial and capable list of qualified union technicians and performers in Lethbridge (and area) that any production could leverage to:
Save money.
Access Tax Incentives and Regional Benefits
Access local knowledge, built relationships and bonus resources
Expedite location management and travel
and so much more.
Do we have every role in every department covered? No. But, we have a lot.
Thanks in large part to the phenomenal arts and digital media programs at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Polytechnic, there is a steady pipeline of emerging talent. Until recently most graduates felt the need to leave the city to pursue a "legitimate" career. However, the tides are turning. The city is maturing and the viability of a career is becoming more possible.
Why the buzz?
Among a host of exciting industry and administrative developments, a company called Nordicity alongside Economic Development Lethbridge and the City of Lethbridge has been collecting data for a Creative Industries Hub Feasibility Study for many months. The study is exploring the need for a Creative Industries Digital Production "Hub" facility that would host production facilities for a broad array of digital creative industries (film and television, game design, graphic design, motion-capture, volumetric studio, editing suites, audio suites and more) and be connected through high-fidelity fiber optics to studios around the world.
As someone who has been meeting with Nordicity and our creative industries representatives over the past year there is a clear need and desire from our community for such a facility. It would solve the retention issue, giving industry graduates the chance to access their chosen careers immediately upon graduation.
Conversely, we already have many of these facilities scattered around the city, but until recently our community was disconnected. Many efforts over the past decade have synergized the city's creative community. Lethbridge's "Eureka" moment is coming very soon. If you're a producer reading this - maybe that means you!
This is a different and much larger discussion but it points to our city's maturing creative core. One that is ready for opportunity and a chance to do the work.
What do I mean by "maturing?"
The University of Lethbridge is in its first intake cycle for their new Cinema Degree. The all new degree combines the power of the New Media with the breadth of the U of L's lateral learning to prepare Cinema Degree graduates for a career in the professional entertainment industry. I was a consultant on the development of this program in 2024 when they were designing it. The city and economic development are also pursuing film initiatives to draw full scale productions to the region. There is a tangible, palpable and consistent energy surrounding the professional and independent film industry in Lethbridge - and I'm here for it... literally.
It's only a matter of time. We have a dedicated and active base of ACTRA actors, skilled camera operators and support, excellent grips, one of the best makeup artists in Alberta, Katt Panic, experienced costumer designers and technicians, outstanding catering, food trucks and culinary artists, and world-class sound mixers who live and work right here. By hiring locally, productions can drastically cut down on travel, accommodation and many other costs while infusing their sets with passionate, community-driven professionals.
The HatChap Advantage
Listen, navigating a new city is always easier when you have a local partner with boots on the ground who knows the terrain. At HatChap Productions, we aren't just advocates for the Lethbridge film scene; we are active participants in and builders of it. We are passionate filmmakers and performers ourselves.
Local Fixers with a Rolodex: We’ve spent years cultivating relationships with local business owners, city officials, technicians, performers, theatres and property managers. Need to lock down a quirky retro diner at 2:00 AM? Need a welding shop? An art gallery? We got you. Or maybe you need to know which coulee trails are actually accessible for a heavy grip truck? We have the on-the-ground knowledge to bypass the guesswork. We are able to act as your local fixers, connecting visiting productions with the exact locations, casting choices, and gear rentals needed to keep the shoot moving without burning daylight.
Full-Service, End-to-End Production: Beyond logistics and location scouting, HatChap Productions operates as a comprehensive, full-service production house. We’ve built an infrastructure that allows visiting filmmakers and local creators alike to keep their entire workflow right here in Lethbridge without having to outsource back to a major hub. From the early stages of pre-production—including script development, storyboarding, and crewing up—straight through to executing principal photography with professional camera packages and experienced on-set management, we have the knowledge and connections to execute your vision. And when the director finally calls "wrap," our post-production pipeline takes over. We handle everything from video editing and color grading to our signature high-fidelity audio mixing, sound design, and original music composition. Whether you need a local co-production partner to split the workload or a team to run the whole show, we take projects from raw concept to final, festival-ready master, all under one roof.
Proven Experience in the Trenches: Whether you need a local fixer, casting connections, top-of-the-line gear, or professional audio post-production and original music composition, we have the network to make it happen. We recently put our own local infrastructure to the test with our TELUS STORYHIVE-funded television pilot, There Are No Squirrels in Lethbridge.
Co-written by Conner Christmas and myself, this 1990s neo-noir crime-comedy relied heavily on Lethbridge’s unique architecture and our incredible pool of local actors and crew. Shooting a period-piece pilot in our own backyard forced us to look at the city through a completely different lens. It taught us exactly how far the local dollar stretches, how willing the community is to rally behind independent film, and what it truly takes to pull off a highly ambitious, locally-shot project from pitch to final render.
my Filmmakers and industry Friends
If you want to get in the mix, be a part of the conversation, shape our city's filmmaking future and contribute to the prosperity and cultural growth of our region there are many ways to get involved. Join the Lethbridge Independent Film Society, reach out to Screen Lethbridge with available locations you're willing to share with a movie studio, join your university or institutions' film friendly clubs and answer those casting and crew calls.
I'm proud to say that Lethbridge is truly "building it so they will come" but we need all the help we can get. Let's get to it.
Okay, we're not blind to a few glaring challenges but hear me out...
The Elephant in the Room:
Gear and Rentals
Let’s be completely candid about the one hurdle out-of-town producers always ask about: equipment rentals. It’s true—as of right now, Lethbridge doesn’t have a massive, dedicated cinema rental house like a William F. White or a Panavision.
However, before you let that deter you, there are three very important things you need to know about the gear reality in southern Alberta:
1. The Cost Offset Makes the Calgary Run Worth It The sheer amount of money you save on affordable locations, streamlined permitting, overtime and lower day-to-day logistical overhead in Lethbridge more than mitigates the cost of sending a transport van two hours up Highway 2 to grab a specialized grip truck or lens package from Calgary. If you're The math still works heavily in your favor.
2. The City is On It The lack of a centralized rental house is a known growing pain, and the city, alongside the local filmmaking community, is actively working on solving this infrastructure gap. As more productions come to town, the business case for local rental expansions gets stronger every day. Once rentals are no longer a logistical concern in Lethbridge you would be a fool to not shoot here. Your money will go further - plain and simple.
3. The Local Arsenal is surprisingly robust You might not actually need to rent as much as you think. The owner-operator network here in Lethbridge is incredibly collaborative, and the amount of high-end gear floating around town is substantial. If you know who to call (which is where a local partner like HatChap comes in), you can tap into a local network that currently includes:
Top-Tier Stabilization & Cinema Cameras: Multiple DJI Ronin 4D setups.
Industry Workhorses: A heavy presence of Sony Cinema Line bodies (FX3, FX6, FX9) and a ton of broadcast-quality Blackmagic cameras.
Premium Formats: A few RED cinema cameras for high-end commercial or narrative work.
Grips: Multiple seasoned and award-winning grips in town with growing production trailers.
Bonus tools: Our recent D.O.P. on There Are No Squirrels in Lethbridge, Curtis Huisman, at Sensored Media has a well equipped camera car and remote arm. Michael Warf at Coalbanks Creative has a production studio just about to come online with volumetric capabilities and excellent production tools. Mike's also a verifiable wizard - at least that's my position. Drones, coding, ethical AI leverage and so much more.
Sound Departments: A handful of highly capable, dedicated audio recordists operating with excellent B-Unit sound rigs.
Creative Design: We have many outstanding designers and artistic technicians. Costumers, makeup artists, hair stylists.
Trades: Our trades industries are skilled and many. Carpenters, welders, builders, painters and more. Many have experience in theatre and some in film.
The bottom line? We acknowledge the bump in the road, but the ease of local production completely outweighs the inconvenience. The gear is here, the talent is here, and whatever we don't have, we can easily bring down with the money saved on your bottom line.
The Verdict: The Secret is finally Out
Lethbridge is no longer just a scenic detour or a "maybe next time" location. It is a maturing, highly viable, and incredibly cost-effective production hub. The landscape is unparalleled, our local union and independent talent pool is hungry, accredited, constantly sharpening and always growing, and the civic infrastructure is finally here to support your vision. The "Eureka" moment we’ve been waiting for isn't just coming—it’s already happening.
The only thing missing right now is your production.
Ready to Roll in the Windy City?
If you’re a producer or director ready to stretch your budget further without compromising on cinematic quality, it’s time to look south. And when you do, HatChap Productions and our growing connections to the community is here to hand you the keys to the city.
Whether you are looking for a co-production partner, need a local fixer to scout those hidden coulee fortresses, or want a full-service team to take your project from the first pitch to the final high-fidelity audio mix, we want to hear from you.
Let's grab a coffee (or a video call), brave the wind, and talk about how we can bring your next story to life in Alberta's best-kept cinematic secret.
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