HBO's runaway hit series, The Last of Us, amassed eight awards during the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday.

The dystopian drama, whose first season was shot across Alberta won eight Emmys, including:

  • Outstanding prosthetic makeup
  • Outstanding special visual effects in a season or a movie
  • Outstanding main title design
  • Outstanding sound editing for a comedy or drama series (one hour)
  • Outstanding sound mixing for a comedy or drama series (one hour)
  • Outstanding picture editing for a drama series
  • Outstanding guest actress in a drama series (Storm Reid as Riley Abel)
  • Outstanding guest actor in a drama series (Nick Offerman as Bill)

While The Last of Us stole the show on Saturday, another Alberta-made film also nabbed an award. The 2022 film, Prey, shot primarily in Calgary and the surrounding areas won an Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a limited or anthology series, movie or special.

On Sunday evening, The Last of Us garnered three Golden Globes nominations, including Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Bella Ramsey), Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Pedro Pascal), as well as Best Television Series - Drama; however the show was not able to nab any Golden Globes. 

In In 2023, Oxford Economics calculated that 'expenditure by the production of Season One of The Last of Us stimulated over $182 million of contribution to Alberta’s GDP from 2021-2022.'

A press release from the Motion Picture Association – Canada (MPA-Canada) added that the $71 million of production spending supported wages and salaries for local cast, crew and production personnel, with the remaining $70 million spent at local businesses.

"From lumber and construction supplies to hotels, local catering and more, the series supported over 1,000 Alberta businesses in communities across the province."

Damian Petti, President of Calgary-based Entertainment Technician’s Union for International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.) Local 212 underlined that award-winning Canadian crew members, many of whom are IATSE Local 212 Members, showcased a wealth of creative talent through their work.

"It is truly gratifying to see how The Last of Us is helping to grow highly skilled and very creative, Canadian careers. Members of this talented production team are very deserving of all the accolades The Last of Us is receiving.”

More than 180 Alberta locations were utilized in the filming of the first season. Janet Graham Borba, Executive Vice President of production, HBO said that experiencing Alberta’s unique locations was a highlight for our production team.

"Alberta provided The Last of Us with skilled creative talent and visually stunning backdrops as the story moved from east to west. From big cities to small towns, the Rocky Mountains, prairies and forests, the province has it all.”

According to the Television Academy, The Saturday Creative Arts show focused primarily on scripted programming. A second show, on Sunday, January 15, will be dedicated to crafts in reality, unscripted and documentary programming.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM

For Airdrie and area breaking news, weather, traffic and contest alerts download the DiscoverAirdrie app. Click here to get it from the Google Play or Apple App store. 

Related Stories