Alaska's implementation of tax breaks for filmmaking in June should bode well for the Yukon, rather than luring lucrative productions stateside, says Barbara Dunlop, the Yukon Film and Sound Commission's (YFSC's) boss.

"It's rare to find all your film location needs in a single place, and many times, producers will be looking at both Alaska and the Yukon, so when Alaska came in with its incentive program, it's actually a bonus for both of us," Dunlop said in a recent interview.

"We'd rather have people think of North of 60 here, instead of going to other places like New Zealand, Scandinavia or Greenland."

Which is the reason the Alaska Film Group - tired of seeing movies set in the state, but filmed elsewhere - approached state legislators a year ago to lobby for the tax breaks.

Alaska's recently introduced filmmaking incentives include up to 30 per cent transferable tax credit on expenditures in the state and an additional 10 per cent for Alaska labour used in production.

Proponents of the new legislation anticipate it could generate up to $300 million worth of annual spending in the state.

In the Yukon, Outside filmmakers can recoup 35 per cent of wages paid to local labour and any Yukon co-production can earn a 30 per cent rebate on total expenditures.

In 2006/2007, the Yukon's film commission contributed $310,000 for territory-based film projects worth $1.1 million and this fiscal year, Dunlop anticipates a contribution of $640,000 for a return of $2.53 million in film spending.

According to Dunlop, film producers from Hollywood and Great Britain have shown the most enthusiasm and the commission recently shepherded location scouts from Paramount Pictures around the region.

"We're definitely seeing an increase in interest, but it remains to be seen how many will actually shoot here," Dunlop said.

In addition to a slew of Yukon independent productions, which are eligible for up to $8,000 in YFSC funding, more than a dozen commercials, nearly the same number of feature films, several documentaries and a television series have filmed in the territory to date.

"The Big White was probably the biggest (film) project to shoot here in recent years," said Dunlop of the 2005 Robin Williams, Holly Hunter black comedy that was filmed in both Alaska and the Yukon.

And to help stimulate the region's filmmaking talent, the Yukon film commission also offers an additional 30 per cent rebate on wages paid to imported crew members who offer training to locals.

"We're pretty focused on training Yukoners to stimulate our own infrastructure," said Dunlop. She praises the enthusiasm and dedication of homegrown talent for the inroads the territory has made in a challenging industry.

"I credit the spirit of the people in the local filmmaking community with the success and the commission just tries to help them out," she added.

That spirit saw the birth of the Yukon Film Society in 1984 and in 1999, the inception of the Northern Film and Video Association (NFVA).

While the former came about as a film appreciation club, it now offers access to equipment, digital media workshops and two annual film festivals, one fixed and another which tours Yukon-made films around the territory and surrounding area.

As for the NFVA, it provides industry-specific training to its members, rents most everything required (except cameras) and has a growing stable of film professionals for hire.