With support from Montréal International - Cinesite announces the establishment of a visual effects studio in Greater Montréal

MONTREAL, Jan. 20, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - British company Cinesite announced today in London that it has decided to establish its new visual effects studio in Greater Montréal. At the announcement, in the presence of Québec Premier Pauline Marois, Cinesite executives explained that they chose the city after evaluating a number of sites around the world. The company will create 200 jobs in Québec over the next four years and will benefit from a $1.2-million interest-free loan from the Government of Québec.

"Greater Montréal stood out from the competition because of the willingness of government leaders to make the city a major player in the visual effects and post-production industry," said Antony Hunt, Managing Director of Cinesite. "The people we talked to have been receptive to our needs and have shown real awareness of our industry's issues. We were attracted by the prospect of being part of such a dynamic and creative business environment."

For more than 20 years, Cinesite has created visual effects for major film productions. From James Bond to Harry Potter and from Iron Man 3 to World War Z, Cinesite has played a role in the success of a broad range of film and television productions.

Montréal International and Investissement Québec have been in constant contact with Cinesite since 2012 and have taken part in many discussions to promote the advantages of a presence in Québec.

"This is a perfect example of ambition and mobilization! Toronto and Vancouver were also being considered by Cinesite as Canadian sites, so we redoubled our efforts to position Greater Montréal as a new emerging centre of digital visual effects," said Dominique Anglade, President and CEO of Montréal International. "During the past year or so, major players in this sector including Framestore and Moving Picture Company (MPC) have selected the metropolis, in particular to meet growing demand from Hollywood studios. Cinesite's decision reinforces our city's creativity and our openness to doing business with foreign companies."

About Cinesite (www.cinesite.com)
London-based Cinesite is one of the world's key providers of digital visual effects. Owned originally by Eastman Kodak, the company was sold in 2012 to a private firm that has emphasized growth in new markets and development of content for its own catalogue of productions. Cinesite has earned many awards, including an Emmy, a BAFTA and an Oscar.

More recently, Cinesite released its new production Beans, a "faux commercial" designed to demonstrate the company's creature animation skills. It is the studio's first short animated film and since releasing on YouTube before Christmas it has amassed over 7.7 million views.

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Created in 1996, Montréal International (MI) is the result of a private-public partnership. Its mission is to contribute to the economic development of Greater Montréal and enhance its international status. Its mandates include attracting foreign direct investments, international organizations and international strategic workers as well as promoting the competitive and international environment of Greater Montréal. Montréal International—a non-profit organization—is funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (Montréal Metropolitan Community) and the City of Montréal.

Since its creation, Montréal International has helped to attract $9.4 billion in foreign direct investments to Greater Montréal. From these investments, more than 49,000 jobs have been created or maintained. To date, MI's activities have also allowed almost half of some 60 international organizations to establish themselves in the city and attract and retain more than 8,000 international strategic workers.

SOURCE: Montréal International

Céline Clément
Communications Advisor
Montréal International
Tel.: [phone]
Cell: 514 892-4030
[email protected]