Prince Edward Island will enjoy its debut as the prime location for the filming of a new television series when it begins production in September. Co-producers CINAR Films Inc. and Salter Street Films Limited along with broadcaster WIC Western International Communications have teamed up to produce Emily, a new $13 million series, based on the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Canada's critically acclaimed author of Anne of Green Gables.
The thirteen one-hour episodes will remain true to the spirit of the Emily books and will be shot in the authentic setting of Prince Edward Island, where Lucy Maud Montgomery herself grew up. The primary locations will include Cabot Beach Provincial Park, Malpeque which will initially be used as the production set for the series and eventually as an Emily Village theme park attraction; and Slemon Park, Summerside, PEI, where hanger number three will be used as an indoor studio, for designing and constructing sets, and for administrative offices.
"I am very excited Prince Edward Island has been chosen as the location for this production. It is not only authentic and true to the images in Lucy Maud Montgomery's Emily books, but demonstrates that Prince Edward Island is a contender for further film industry business," says Catherine Callbeck, Premier of Prince Edward Island.
Callbeck announced the PEI government is investing $1.9 million towards the production of the series and the initial construction phase of the Emily Village. The production set in Cabot Beach Provincial Park will not only be home to the location for the filming of the series, but will eventually be used as a theme park attraction for PEI.
Emily is the mysterious and haunting tale of a free-spirited young girl that speaks to the challenge women faced on the eve of the twentieth century. The richly imaginative new series will depict the coming-of-age experiences of Emily, who, as an orphan living with her two maiden aunts and adult cousin, had to make her new life in a strict Victorian home.
Says Patricia Lavoie, Vice-President, CINAR Live Action Production and Development, Anyone who has ever burned with a creative passion or a secret ambition will adore the young dark-eyed Emily. Her courageous spirit and her phoenix-like will to live life to the fullest will inspire all who see her story unfold."
"The show will have three main stars: Emily, the stunning beauty of the Island, and the drama of the sea. Here, the veiled mysteries of the ocean and rich red earth will reveal secrets destined to thrill the legions of Lucy Maud Montgomery fans and lure new generations of viewers into the fold," said Marlene Matthews, Supervising Producer for the Emily series.
The Emily books in Canada are published in paperback by Seal and throughout the rest of the English speaking world by Bantam Doubleday Dell by the permission of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Estate.
For more information contact: Berni Wood, Enterprise PEI, (902) 368-6329 or (902) 629-0775 cell; Natalie Lachance, CINAR Films Inc., (514) 843-7070; or Elaine Partridge, Salter Street Films, (902) 420-1577.