CHPC Committee Report
If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.
APPENDIX E
CHRONOLOGY OF CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
1896 |
The first public exhibition of motion pictures in Canada takes place in Montreal.
|
1897 |
The first Canadian films are produced by James Freer, a Manitoba farmer. They depicted life on the Prairies.
|
1903 |
The first Canadian film exchange is opened in Montreal by Léo-Ernest Ouimet.
|
1906 |
Ouimet opens the first permanent cinema in Montreal.
|
|
Brothers Jay J. and Jules Allen open a theatre in Brantford, Ontario; they would go on to build the Allen Theatres chain.
|
1911 |
Ontario establishes the Ontario Board of Censors.
|
|
The Allen brothers build their first luxury theatre in Calgary.
|
1913 |
The first Canadian feature film Evangeline is produced.
|
1916 |
N.L. Nathanson opens a theatre in Toronto; he would go on to build the Paramount Theatres chain.
|
1917 |
The Ontario government establishes the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau.
|
|
The first film studio in Canada opens in Trenton, Ontario.
|
1919 |
American producer Adolph Zukor acquires a substantial interest in the Paramount Theatres chain.
|
1920 |
The Famous Players Canadian Corporation (FPCC) is incorporated, backed by Zukor with Nathanson in charge.
|
1922 |
The Allen Theatres chain goes bankrupt.
|
1923 |
The federal government establishes the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau.
|
|
FPCC gains control of the Canadian exhibition market when it acquires all of the Allen Theatres.
|
1930 |
Zukor acquires direct control of FPCC, which becomes a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures.
|
|
The federal government launches an investigation into the Canadian film industry under the Federal Combines Investigation Act. Commissioner Peter White conducts the hearings.
|
1931 |
Commissioner White reports that FPCC is a combine. Legal action is launched in Ontario, but FPCC is found not guilty.
|
1934 |
The Ontario Motion Picture Bureau and the film studio in Trenton are closed down.
|
1935 |
The National Film Society of Canada is incorporated.
|
1938 |
The federal government invites John Grierson, a Scottish film producer, to study government film activities. Grierson recommends creating the National Film Commission.
|
1939 |
The federal government creates the National Film Commission (soon the National Film Board of Canada NFB), with Grierson as its first commissioner.
|
1941 |
The NFB absorbs the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau.
|
|
Nathanson launches the Odeon Theatres chain, with his son Paul as head of the company.
|
1944 |
Commercial feature-film production begins in Quebec with the establishment of Renaissance Films.
|
1946 |
The first Canadian feature film in both English and French Whispering City/La Forteresse is shot by Québec Productions of St-Hyacinthe.
|
|
Budge and Judith Crawley incorporate Crawley Films in Ottawa.
|
|
Paul Nathanson sells his interests in Odeon to the Rank Organization of Great Britain.
|
1948 |
The Canadian Co-operation Project enters into effect. To prevent the taxation of profits and the imposition of a quota system, the Motion Picture Association of America agrees to make films in Canada, refer to Canada in feature films, and distribute more NFB shorts. It lasts until 1958.
|
1949 |
The Canadian Film Awards are inaugurated.
|
|
The federal government creates the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, known as the Massey Commission after its chairman, Vincent Massey.
|
1950 |
Parliament passes the National Film Act expanding the mandate of the NFB.
|
|
The National Film Society of Canada is renamed the Canadian Film Institute.
|
|
The first film festival in North America is held in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
|
1951 |
The Massey Commission submits its report.
|
|
The Canadian Film Archives Committee is formed, with the NFB as temporary custodian of historical films.
|
1954 |
The federal government introduces the 60% capital cost allowance (CCA) to encourage private investment in feature film.
|
1958 |
The Canadian Co-operation Project comes to an end.
|
1962 |
Connaissance du cinéma is founded.
|
1963 |
The Government of Canada signs its first co-production treaty with a foreign government France.
|
|
The federal government establishes the Interdepartmental Committee on the Possible Development of Feature Film Production in Canada, chaired by Guy Roberge, the Commissioner of the NFB.
|
|
The Canadian Film Institute establishes the Canadian Film Archives.
|
1965 |
The Interdepartmental Committee on the Possible Development of Feature Film Production in Canada releases a report by O.J. Firestone, a professor of economics at the University of Ottawa, entitled Film distribution practices, problems, and prospects.
|
1967 |
The federal government creates the Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) and allocates $10 million.
|
|
A fire at the NFB destroys the historical holdings of the Canadian Film Archives.
|
1968 |
FPCC is replaced by Famous Players Ltd., 51% of which is owned by Gulf+Western (Canada) Ltd, which is wholly owned by Gulf+Western of the United States.
|
1969 |
The Ontario Film Institute is founded.
|
1971 |
The federal government increases the CFDC budget by a further $10 million.
|
|
Connaissance du cinéma is renamed the Cinémathèque québécoise.
|
1972 |
The Pacific Cinematheque is formed in Vancouver.
|
|
The Council of Canadian Filmmakers (CCFM) is formed.
|
1973 |
The federal government negotiates a voluntary quota with the two major theatre chains.
|
|
The Public Archives of Canada establishes the National Film Archives Division.
|
1974 |
The CCFM calls for radical solutions for getting Canadian films shown in Canada.
|
|
The Capital Cost Allowance (CCA) in the Income Tax Act is extended to feature film production, allowing 100% deduction of investments in Canadian film production.
|
|
The federal government creates the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) to administer the CCA program for feature films.
|
|
A point system for measuring Canadian content is introduced.
|
|
The Canadian Film Institute devolves its film collections to the Public Archives of Canada.
|
1975 |
The federal government negotiates another voluntary quota agreement with Famous Players and Odeon Theatres.
|
|
The Institut québécois du cinéma is created.
|
|
RSL Films is established.
|
1976 |
The federal government increases the CFDC budget by $5 million and decides to fund the CFDC through an annual parliamentary appropriation.
|
|
The first Festival of Festivals is held in Toronto.
|
|
The Moving Image and Sound Archives Division of the Public Archives of Canada is created in Ottawa.
|
|
Odeon Theatres is bought by Canadian interests.
|
|
The federal government abandons voluntary quotas.
|
1977 |
The first World Film Festival is held in Montreal.
|
1978 |
The release of The Silent Partner marks the beginning of the “tax-shelter” boom.
|
|
Atlantis Films is established.
|
1979 |
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television is created to implement the Genie Awards, which replace the Canadian Film Awards.
|
|
Cineplex opens a 21-screen theatre in Toronto’s Eaton Centre.
|
|
International Cinema Corporation is established.
|
1980 |
The federal government establishes the Federal Cultural Policy Review Committee, chaired by Louis Applebaum and Jacques Hébert.
|
1981 |
The Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation is created.
|
|
Porky’s is released and becomes the highest-grossing Canadian feature film.
|
1982 |
The Applebaum-Hébert Committee issues its report.
|
|
The Vancouver International Film Festival begins.
|
1983 |
Quebec creates La Société générale du cinéma.
|
|
The Supreme Court of Ontario rules the Ontario Board of Censors is operating in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
|
1984 |
The federal government issues the National Film and Video Policy.
|
|
The CFDC becomes Telefilm Canada.
|
|
Cineplex buys Odeon Theatres, creating Cineplex Odeon Corporation.
|
1985 |
The Ontario Board of Censors is disbanded and replaced by the Ontario Film Review Board.
|
|
The Task Force on the Canadian Film Industry is created to analyze the structural problems of the industry. Co-chaired by Marie-Josée Raymond and Stephen Roth, it presents its report entitled Canadian Cinema: A Solid Base.
|
|
RSL Films and International Cinema Corporation join forces and become Alliance Entertainment Corporation.
|
1986 |
The federal government creates the Feature Film Fund.
|
|
Cineplex Odeon comes under American control when MCA Inc. acquires 49%.
|
|
Ontario creates the Ontario Film Development Corporation.
|
1987 |
British Columbia Film is established.
|
|
Manitoba and the federal government create the Cultural Industries Development Office.
|
|
The Public Archives of Canada becomes the National Archives of Canada.
|
|
The federal government introduces legislation to limit the rights of American distributors. However, following intense lobbying by Hollywood studios, the legislation dies on the Order Paper.
|
1988 |
The federal government announces the Feature Film Distribution Policy. It includes foreign investment policy guidelines under the Investment Canada Act.
|
|
The federal government creates the Feature Film Distribution Fund.
|
|
Canadian-born filmmaker Norman Jewison founds the Canadian Film Centre to provide training for emerging film professionals.
|
|
The Canadian Film Institute merges with the Conservatory of Cinematographic Art of Montreal to form Cinémathèque Canada.
|
|
Saskatchewan creates SaskFilm.
|
1990 |
The federal government establishes the Cultural Industries Development Fund, administered by the Business Development Bank of Canada.
|
|
The Ontario Film Institute becomes Cinematheque Ontario and the Film Reference Library when the Toronto International Film Festival Group takes over its management.
|
|
The Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation is formed.
|
1991 |
The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund is established as a national, non-profit organization to fund private film production in Canada.
|
1994 |
The federal government approves the takeover of Famous Players by Viacom Inc., the world’s third largest media company.
|
|
The Festival of Festivals in Toronto becomes the Toronto International Film Festival.
|
|
The Institut québécois du cinéma is combined with the Société générale des industries culturelles (SOGIC) to create the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC).
|
|
The federal government creates the Task Force on the Preservation and Enhanced Use of Canada’s Audio-Visual Heritage.
|
1995 |
The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) program replaces the CCA program. The CPTC provides a refundable tax credit of up to 12% on Canadian productions.
|
|
The Task Force on the Preservation and Enhanced Use of Canada’s Audio-Visual Heritage issues a report entitled Fading Away: Strategic Options to Ensure the Protection of and Access to our Audio-Visual Memory.
|
|
The federal government reduces funding to a number of cultural programs, including Telefilm Canada and the NFB.
|
|
The federal government establishes the Mandate Review Committee under the chairmanship of Pierre Juneau to carry out a study of the mandates of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Film Board, and Telefilm Canada.
|
1996 |
The Mandate Review Committee issues its report, entitled Making Your Voices Heard: Canadian Broadcasting and Film for the 21st Century.
|
|
The Alliance for Canada’s Audio-Visual Heritage is founded; it is subsequently renamed the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.
|
|
The Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation ceases operations.
|
1997 |
The federal government creates the Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit.
|
1998 |
Cineplex Odeon Corporation merges with Loews Theatres, creating Loews Cineplex Entertainment.
|
|
Alliance Communications and Atlantis Films merge to become Alliance Atlantis Communications.
|
|
The chain of Cineplex Odeon theatres is bought by Sony, while the Canadian distribution division, Cineplex Odeon Films, is sold to Alliance Atlantis.
|
|
The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, launches a review of Canada’s feature film policy. The Department of Canadian Heritage releases a discussion paper entitled A Review of Canadian Feature Film Policy and creates the Feature Film Advisory Committee.
|
|
Manitoba’s Cultural Industries Development Office becomes Manitoba Film & Sound.
|
1999 |
The Feature Film Advisory Committee issues its report, entitled The Road to Success.
|
|
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage releases its report entitled A Sense of Place, A Sense of Being: The Evolving Role of the Federal Government in Support of Culture in Canada.
|
|
The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, requests a review of management practices of federal mechanisms in support of film and television production.
|
|
Galaxy Entertainment Inc. is founded.
|
2000 |
The Report of the Review of Management Practices of Federal Mechanisms in Support of Film and Television Production is released in February.
|
|
The Follow-up Report on the Review of the Federal System of Support to Film and Television Production is released in September.
|
|
The federal government launches the new Canadian Feature Film Policy, entitled From Script to Screen.
|
2001 |
The Canadian Feature Film Fund, managed by Telefilm Canada, begins operations with an annual budget of $100 million.
|
2002 |
The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps, commissions François Macerola to prepare a report on Canadian content in film and television productions.
|
|
The Department of Canadian Heritage issues a discussion paper entitled Canadian Content in the 21st Century.
|
|
Loews Cineplex Entertainment is acquired by Onex Corporation and Oaktree Capital Management.
|
2003 |
François Macerola submits his report entitled Canadian Content in the 21st Century in Film and Television Productions: A Matter of Cultural Identity.
|
|
The Canadian assets of Cineplex Odeon Corporation are merged with Galaxy Entertainment Inc. to create Cineplex Galaxy LP.
|
2004 |
Les Invasions Barbares wins the Academy Award for best foreign language film.
|
|
Onex and Oaktree sell their interests in Loews Cineplex Entertainment, but retain control of Cineplex Galaxy LP.
|
2005 |
Cineplex Galaxy acquires Famous Players from Viacom Inc. A consent agreement with Canada’s Commissioner of Competition requires Cineplex Galaxy to sell 34 theatres.
|