Carole Vivier, who served as the CEO and film commissioner of Manitoba Film & Music (MFM) for 26 years, is being remembered as a pioneering builder, champion and changemaker. Vivier passed away Tuesday after a battle with lung cancer. She was 73.

Vivier began working at the provincially-funded agency in 1985 and served as CEO & film commissioner from 1993, up until her retirement in 2019.

“When Carole took the helm at MFM she was determined to make the province a film and music hub,” the agency said in a tribute. “She lobbied the provincial government and eventually pioneered the first film tax credit in Western Canada. Always looking ahead, Carole also had the foresight to offer additional incentives including a frequent filming bonus to attract repeat clients to Manitoba.”

During her tenure, film production in the province grew from $12 million in the early ’90s to over $269 million in 2019, attracting high-profile feature film productions like Heaven is for Real, A Dog’s Purpose, Shall We Dance, and Capote. Under her leadership, MFM also supported the careers of homegrown performers, including Royal Canoe, Crash Test Dummies, and Chantal Kreviazuk.

Vivier served on the board of directors at the National Screen Institute, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, Canadian Film Centre Feature Film Advisory Committee, Burton Cummings Theatre Performing Arts Group, and Film Training Manitoba, among other organizations. She was also instrumental in bringing the JUNOS to Winnipeg in 2005 and co-chaired the 2014 Winnipeg JUNO Awards host committee.

She was named to the Order of Canada in 2024, the Order of Manitoba in 2014, and the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame in 2019. She received the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) Honorary Life Member Award in 2019, and the Western Canadian Music Awards’ Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award in 2022, among many other acknowledgements.

Several accolades have been named in her honour including Film Training Manitoba’s Carole Vivier Distinguished Builder Award and the Carole Vivier Scholarship for Women in Film, established at Sisler High School for students graduating from its Interactive Digital Media program.

Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) President & CEO Reynolds Mastin called Vivier “a force in Canada’s cultural sector.”

“Her extraordinary vision during three decades at the helm of Manitoba Film & Music built the organization into a powerhouse,” said Mastin. “Her advocacy led to the implementation of Western Canada’s first film tax credit in 1997, spurring tremendous growth in production activity across Manitoba, reaching over a quarter billion by the time of her retirement in 2019. With every fibre of her being, Carole was a passionate promoter and fierce protector of the Manitoba production industry. She will be profoundly missed, and we extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones, as well as to her friends and colleagues across Manitoba and the entire country.”