White Owl Film Studios, a 20,000-square-foot soundstage in partnership with Los Angeles-based production company Volume Global, opens this month in Capreol, Ontario, Canada, in a move further demonstrating Canada’s growing foothold on the film production industry.   

“We are excited to partner with Volume Global in developing the first soundstage of its kind and the first Northern Ontario 20K square foot clear span soundstage,” said CEO Roy Roque. “This joint endeavor will provide significant support to local communities, foster economic stimulus, and job growth in Northern Ontario.”

The studio, which cost around $15 million to develop, will be state-of-the-art, equipped with an LED wall standing 35 to 40 feet high, consisting of 3,500 television screens all clipped together. Already fully booked for two years, the studio promises year-round filming regardless of the weather and will alleviate the lack of film and TV stage space in the Northern Ontario region.

While filmmakers often flock to where the best tax incentives are found, Volume Global first looked to the nearby city of Sudbury to build the studio. However, Roque says the process stalled due to bureaucracy. That’s when the idea of building on reserve land came up.

At first, Roque was skeptical about the lakefront location. “But,” Roque said, “our partners convinced us that a 45-minute drive from Sudbury isn’t that different from what people in Toronto or LA are used to.”

Volume Global also expressed their enthusiasm for the new studio and their collaboration with White Owl.

“We are thrilled to partner with White Owl Film Studios of the Wahnapitae First Nation to bring this innovative solution to Canada and, more specifically, Northern Ontario,” said Co-CEO Christopher Rush Harrington. “We firmly believe that this collaboration will not only help address a global shortage of production space, but moreover is a testament to our commitment to supporting the Indigenous community of the Wahnapitae First Nation.”

The first production that the studio will host is Deerslayer, the prequel to the 1992 epic historical epic The Last of the Mohicans.