Film commissioner Kathleen Gilbert will retire in 2024 after more than a decade at the helm of the Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission, it was announced Thursday.
Gilbert, the longest-serving commissioner in the non-profit organization’s 50-year history, will leave her post in the spring.
“I have enjoyed my position as Film Commissioner more than words could express,” she said in a statement. “I have been blessed with a devoted and loyal staff and a hard-working board of directors, all of whom have made my job so enjoyable. I look forward to continuing to support the growth of the film industry in Victoria and the commission in whatever ways that I can.”
A highly respected film industry veteran, with more than 30 years of film experience, she was a member of the Directors Guild of Canada for 13 years, prior to joining what was then known as the Greater Victoria Film Commission in 2010.
The film commissioner is the first point of contact for outside film and television productions scouting the region as a potential fit, and Gilbert was instrumental in attracting and facilitating hundreds of projects, growing direct film- and television-related spending in the Capital Region from $6 million in 2010 to $60 million in 2022.
Gilbert shepherded several high-profile productions, including the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series Maid, Fox’s 10-part mystery series Gracepoint and Disney’s young-adult Descendants franchise, in the Capital Region during her tenure.
A search is underway for her replacement.
