Telefilm Canada
Crown Corporation | |
Industry | Film |
Founded | Montreal, Quebec (1967) |
Headquarters | Montreal, Canada |
Products | funding for audiovisual industry in Canada |
Website | Telefilm Canada website |
Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
Purpose
As one of the Canadian government's principal instruments for supporting Canada's audiovisual industry, Telefilm Canada's primary mandate is to finance and promote through its various funds and programs. Telefilm's role is to foster the commercial, cultural and industrial success of Canadian productions and to stimulate demand for those productions both at home and abroad.[1] Telefilm also administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund.
Coproductions
Telefilm Canada administers the Canadian government’s coproductions, enabling Canadian filmmakers and their international counterparts to coproduce films and television programs that enjoy the status of national productions in each of the respective countries.[2]
Operations
Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides bilingual services to its clients through four offices located in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
The Atlantic Regional office, in operation since 1984 from Halifax, services New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The Quebec Regional office is located in the Montreal head office and serves the province of Quebec.
The Ontario Regional office, in operation since 1968 from Toronto, serves both Ontario and Nunavut.
The Western Regional office, in operation since 1984 from Vancouver, serves the Western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
History
Creation
In 1967, founding the Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), the Canadian government allocates $10 million in support of the feature film industry. Michael Spencer is named the first executive director of the CFDC, which by then includes offices in Montreal and Toronto.
1970s
By 1976, the Canadian government has increased the CFDC’s budget to $25 million annually, at which point the decision is made to finance the corporation with an annual parliamentary appropriation.
1980s
The early 1980s sees the CFDC’s budget increased yet again and the creation of the Canadian Broadcast Program Development Fund to revitalize Canadian television programming. At the time, approximately 85% of all prime time programming on Canadian television is imported from other countries—namely the US. Under the direction of André Lamy, in 1984 the CFDC is renamed “Telefilm Canada” to better reflect the organization’s full range of activities in both the film and television industries.
With the creation of the Feature Film Fund aimed at supporting feature films by Canadian filmmakers and the Feature Film Distribution Fund that makes credit lines available to Canadian distributors, Telefilm Canada takes a central role in the development and growth of Canadian cinema around the world.
1990s
Now under the executive direction of François Macerola, the Canada Television and Cable Production Fund is created. The Fund is a private-public partnership between the federal government of Canada and the cable and satellite television industry, with Telefilm administering the Equity Investment component of the Fund. By the end of the 1990s, in 1998, Telefilm Canada creates a five-year, $30-million multimedia fund, aptly-named The Multimedia Fund, with which to support Canadian work in the digital age. The Fund helps Canadians in multimedia to compete effectively in the new technologies arena.
2000s
With the new millennium, the Canadian government implements a new Canadian Feature Film Policy, From Script to Screen, that effectively creates the Canada Feature Film Fund (CFFF) to be managed by Telefilm Canada. Beginning April 1, 2001, with an annual budget of $100-million, the CFF’s primary objective is to build larger audiences in Canada and abroad for Canadian feature films with improved distribution and marketing. Also that year, Telefilm Canada announces guidelines for the Canada New Media Fund, replacing the Multimedia Fund. Budgets grow from $6 million, to $9 million, and now sit at $14 million annually. The latter half of the decade brings about other changes for Telefilm.
In 2005, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announces a new collaboration between the organization and the Canadian Television Fund and, with it, renewed funding of $100 million for Canadian television programming. While the Board of the Canadian Television is responsible for the governance of all programs, Telefilm heads up the administration and delivery of the CTF programs.[3]
Present
The 2012 Canadian federal budget cut funding for the National Film Board of Canada and Telefilm Canada by 10%. Today, following a new four-year plan, Telefilm has made stimulating demand for Canadian screen-based content one of its top priorities.[4]
Key people
Executive Directors
- Michael Spencer –March 1969 to April 1978
- Michael McCabe – May 1978 to April 1980
- Pierre Thibault – April to July 1980, Acting Executive Director
- André Lamy – August 1980 to June 1985
- Peter Pearson – July 1985 to October 1987
- Judith McCann – October to December 1987, Acting Executive Director
- Michèle Fortin – December 1987 to May 1988, Acting Executive Director
- Pierre DesRoches – June 1988 to June 1994
- Peter Katadotis – June 1994 to March 1995, Acting Executive Director
- François Macerola – March 1995 to November 1998
- Peter Katadotis – November to December 1998, Acting Executive Director
- François Macerola – January 1999 to July 2001
- Johanne St-Arnauld – July 2001 to January 2002, Acting Executive Director
- Richard Stursberg – January 2002 to July 2004
- Carolle Brabant – July 2004 to January 2005, Acting Executive Director
- Wayne Clarkson – January 2005 to January 2010
- Carolle Brabant – March 2010 to Present[5]
Chairpersons of the Board
- Georges-Émile Lapalme – February 1968 to November 1969
- Gratien Gélinas – November 1969 to February 1978
- Michel Vennat – March 1978 to May 1981
- David Silcox – September 1981 to December 1982
- Claude Morin – January to March 1983, chaired Board meetings as Vice-Chair
- Ed Prévost – April 1983 to June 1986
- Jean Sirois – July 1987 to April 1988
- Edmund C. Bovey – May 1988 to April 1990
- Harvey Corn – July 1990 to June 1993
- André Provost – June to July 1993, Acting Chair
- Robert Dinan – July 1993 to July 1998
- Laurier LaPierre – July 1998 to July 2001
- François Macerola – July 2001 to February 2002
- Charles Bélanger – February 2002 to February 2007
- Felix (Fil) Fraser – February to October 2007, Interim Chair
- Michel Roy – October 2007 to present[6]
Key works
Films
Incomplete List[7]
Jésus de Montréal(1989), Denys Arcand
- Wins : 17 total
- Cannes Film Festival, Jury Prize and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
- Toronto Internal Film Festival, International Critic’s Award
- Nominations: 8 total
- Cannes Film Festival, Golden Palm
- Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film
- Golden Globe, Best Foreign Language Film
Crash (1996), David Cronenberg
- Wins: 8 total
- Cannes Film Festival, Jury Special Prize
- Nominations: 4 total
- Cannes Film Festival, Golden Palm
The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Atom Egoyan
- Wins: 29 total
- Cannes Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize, Grand Prize of the Jury, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
- Independent Spirit Awards, Best Foreign Film
- Toronto International Film Festival, Best Canadian Feature Film
- Nominations: 20 total
- Academy Awards, Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Le Violin rouge (1998), François Girard
- Wins: 19 total
- Academy Awards, Best Music, Original Score
- Nominations: 13 total
- Golden Globes, Best Foreign Language Film
Les Triplettes de Belleville (2003), Sylvain Chomet
- Wins: 18 total
- César Awards, Best Film Music
- Nominations: 20 total
- Academy Awards, Best Animated Feature and Best Music, Original Score
- BAFTA Awards, Best Film not in the English Language
La Grande séduction (2003), Jean-François Pouliot
- Wins: 15 total, 11 nominations
- Sundance Film Festival, Audience Award World Cinema, dramatic
Les Invasions barbares (2003), Denys Arcand
- Wins: 37 total
- Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film (Canada’s first ever)
- Cannes Film Festival, Best Actress (Marie-Josée Croze) and Best Screenplay
- Toronto International Film Festival, Best Canadian Feature Film
- Nominations: 19 total
- Academy Awards, Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- Cannes Film Festival, Golden Palm
- Golden Globes, Best Foreign Language Film
Away From Her (2006), Sarah Polley
- Wins: 39 total
- Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- Nominations: 16 total
- Academy Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Julie Christie) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Eastern Promises (2007), David Cronenberg (British co-production)
- Wins: 24 total
- Toronto International Film Festival, People’s Choice Award, Best Performance, Male (Viggo Mortensen)
- Nominations: 35 total
- Academy Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Viggo Mortensen)
- BAFTA, Best British Film and Best Leading Actor (Viggo Mortensen)
- Golden Globes, Best Motions Pictures – Drama, Best Original Score – Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Viggo Mortensen)
Blindness (2008), Fernando Meirelles
- Nominations: 14 total, 12 wins
- Cannes Film Festival, Golden Palm
Adoration (2008), Atom Egoyan
- Wins: 1 total
- Toronto International Film Festival, Best Canadian Feature Film – Special Jury Citation
- Nominations: 3 total
- Cannes Film Festival, Golden Palm
A Dangerous Method (2011), David Cronenberg
- Wins: 12 total
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Best Actor (Michael Fassbender)
- London Critics Circle Film Awards, Best Actor of the Year (Michael Fassbender)
- Nominations: 13 total
- Golden Globes, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Viggo Mortensen)
- Venice Film Festival, Golden Lion
See also
References
- ↑ "About Telefilm". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "Coproduction guidelines". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "History". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "Corporate Plan". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "History". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "History". Telefilm Canada.
- ↑ "Telefilm Canada". IMDB.
External links
- Telefilm Canada website
- Telefilm Canada: History
- CBC Digital Archives - Bright Lights, Political Fights: The Canadian Film Industry