CHPC Committee Report

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

A.  WHY FILM IS IMPORTANT

Since its invention and development in the late 19th century, film has been one of the most powerful and influential cultural media in the history of the world. Although poetry, plays and novels have all had periods when they were a popular form of cultural expression, they never enjoyed the mass audiences that have flocked to see film. Because film is so accessible to those watching, it was the first truly mass cultural medium.

Film is characterized by another feature — its expense. Printing a book, putting on a play, writing and performing music cost, relatively speaking, very little when compared to film. Since feature films require a large market to generate enough sales to pay for them, filmmakers in countries with smaller markets are at a disadvantage. Only a handful of countries have domestic markets large enough to support a viable domestic film industry without some form of direct or indirect government support.

Given the expense involved, skeptics and cynics often ask, “Why bother? Why not spend the money on something more useful, such as medical research or education?” In their view, Canadians might as well sit back and enjoy the benefits that flow from watching the vast range of feature films that are produced by other countries.

All the available evidence suggests that humans have created music, poetry, drawings, decoration and ornament since they first came together to form societies. One could argue whether music or story came first, but stories, either in the form of myth, poetry, plays and song, have been with us for millennia.

Film is a powerful medium for storytelling and it has attracted great numbers of creative people. There are great films and average films just as there are great and average poems, plays, novels and songs. The average, however, do not take away from the great films, plays, novels, poetry and music. Nor do the average dissuade new generations of creators to attempt the near impossible — to make a great film or write a great novel.

Canadians value their distinctive and diverse cultural identities, and have a desire to preserve and promote them in the context of global economic and cultural integration. Accordingly, Canada has long been a leading advocate for an international agreement on cultural diversity.

The near unanimous adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions shows that Canada is not alone in its desire to ensure that its distinct and diverse cultural voices are preserved.

The Convention, which Canada ratified on 23 November 2005, is of considerable relevance to the Government of Canada’s efforts to preserve and promote Canadian film and film culture. In a world where goods and services flow increasingly freely, Canada is flooded with films, overwhelmingly big budget Hollywood productions. In such an environment, the ability of Canadian filmmakers to tell their stories and Canadian audiences to view them is jeopardized. In response, the Government of Canada has devised a number of policies and programs to nurture Canadian film and film artists, which will be discussed in detail throughout this report. The Convention places cultural preservation on the international agenda and confirms in the eyes of the international community, as well as the annals of international law, the legitimacy of Canada’s current and future policies aimed at supporting Canadian film.

Most countries support medical research, provide a safety net for the poor, and attempt to create the conditions that allow creative expression of all types to flourish. In some cases this involves a legal framework that allows free expression and in others a host of initiatives that support the organizations that publish the poetry, plays, novels and music or that perform them. The organizations that do so can be non-profit (e.g., many orchestras, opera companies and museums) or for-profit (e.g., most book publishers).

Apart from ideologues, no one seriously argues that cultural expression should and will occur without any help from others. Some societies rely on and encourage private philanthropy (e.g., the U.S.), while others might use non-profit agencies established with help from government (e.g., Canada).

Support for feature films will vary in different countries as is aptly demonstrated in this report. There is no set formula for success. The only relevant questions have to do with the objectives to be achieved and the most efficient and effective means to achieve them.

Periodically reviewing how we are doing is absolutely necessary and sensible. Any review, however, has to keep in mind its purpose — namely to determine how well we have done and how we might, over time, become better at what we are doing.

We are living through a period of technological change at a rate unlike anything previously witnessed; the Committee is convinced, however, that film, whether seen in a cinema, watched at home, or viewed through a handheld portable device will always remain a powerful form of cultural expression. Indeed, the mechanisms we use to watch film may change, but we will continue to watch films for as long as we continue to have stories to tell.

In some part of our mind the lights will go down, the flickering image will begin to take hold and we will be moved into an almost magical, even mythical world where people are stronger or weaker, more knowledgeable or less informed, less troubled or more distressed than ourselves. At that moment we enter the world of story, and participate in one of the oldest of human activities: the telling of and listening to stories. And that is why we support film.

The “why” is easier to answer than the “how are we doing?” and “why aren’t we doing better?” This committee is quite convinced of the “why”. What follows deals with questions about what we are trying to do, how well we do it and how we might best foster the conditions for Canadian creators and entrepreneurs to make films that not only reach, but resonate, with Canadian audiences.

B.  REPORT OUTLINE

The Committee launched its study of the feature film industry in February 2005.¹ During the first phase of its study, it heard from more than 180 witnesses representing funding support organizations, writers, producers, directors, distributors, exhibitors, broadcasters, unions and government. It also travelled to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax to hold hearings and conduct site visits.

The first phase of the Committee’s work culminated with the release of its Interim Report in June 2005. The Interim Report presented preliminary observations on what the Committee had heard to that point and called upon industry stakeholders to submit written responses to a set of focussed questions.²

The core issues, themes and concerns identified during the first phase of the Committee’s study, as well as the responses received to the questions posed by the Interim Report, were highly instructive. The Committee has carefully evaluated and weighed the concerns and proposals raised by witnesses and has reached agreement on a number of important conclusions and recommendations.

The Committee hopes that the recommendations contained herein will help sustain and build upon the recent successes witnessed in Canada’s French-language feature film market. It is the Committee’s firm belief that these recommendations will also help encourage the possibility of similar results for English-language Canadian films.

Canada has the talent and the capacity to build a culturally vibrant and economically viable feature film industry. The many themes, issues and concerns raised throughout the course of the Committee’s 10 month study are addressed, where appropriate, in the chapters that follow. These are:

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Chapter Two: Selected Statistical Data — The Committee’s Interim Report presented a range of statistics relevant to Canadian feature film. This chapter introduces additional data that the Committee feels are crucial to understanding the current state and future direction of Canadian feature film. It includes economic data on the film industry, detailed market share data, as well as data on direct and indirect government support for Canadian feature film. It also includes survey data on Canadians’ movie viewing and internet usage habits.

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Chapter Three: Summary of Responses to the Interim Report — As mentioned above, the Committee’s Interim Report invited a second round of input from industry stakeholders. This chapter provides a summary of the views expressed by those who responded. Issues addressed relate to: creation and production, marketing, existing government support mechanisms, distribution, exhibition, governance of key film support agencies, performance measures and targets, as well as a number of other key concerns.

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Chapter Four: Feature Film Support Programs and Initiatives: International Comparisons — Throughout the work of the Committee, witnesses regularly mentioned policies and programs that other countries offer in support of their feature film industries. In response, the Committee undertook a considered examination of the support measures offered in a selection of key countries. This chapter examines feature film support models used in Australia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom and discusses how they compare with the methods used in Canada.

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Chapter Five: Recommendations for a New Film Policy and its Implementation — This chapter provides a suite of recommendations that the Committee feels would help further the objectives of Canada’s feature film policy. It includes a discussion of core elements for a new film policy, the importance of governance and accountability, and needed action for the implementation of a new policy.

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Chapter Six: Conclusion — This final chapter recounts some of the leading deficiencies with Canada’s feature film policy and its implementation and emphasizes the broader changes that are needed to improve upon the current situation. It stresses that the Committee strongly supports the role of the federal government in support of Canadian feature filmmaking and that long-term stable funding at levels equal to, or greater than, those currently available should continue to be made available to Canada’s feature filmmakers.

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1	The terms of reference of this study are included in an Appendix to this report.

2	The list of questions is provided in an Appendix to this report.