Hideaway Pictures plans to turn arena into studio

A film company planning to build a film studio in Sudbury says the movie business needs a winter hometo survive in northern Ontario.

Hideaway Pictures hopes to have a permanent production facility up and running in three years, but in the meantime, the company aims to temporarily set up in the old Barrydowne Arena.

Hideaway CEO David Anselmo said a studio will make film production a year-round industry in Sudbury.

"By having this facility, it allows us to attract even bigger productions thanThe Truth," he said. "Because now we have a facility people can work out of in the winter time."

On Monday night, the city's planning committee approved Hideaway's plans for Barrydowne Arena. The decision won't be official until it passes a vote of city council in two weeks, however.

Anselmo, who is originally from Sudbury, said there's been a boom in the movie business in the city of late and a studio will keep it from fading away.

"We've seen an increase in the last six years," Anselmo said, adding that to keep the industry from stagnating, some infrastructure needs to be developed.

Hideaway Pictures plans to lease the old arena from the city for the next three years, as it looks to build somewhere in Sudbury.