James Quandt, director of programming for Cinematheque Ontario, is a film programmer of international repute. In 1984, and after many years of intense film-viewing and writing, Quandt was hired as Harbourfront’s film programmer – a position he held for six years.

In 1990, Quandt moved from Harbourfront to the Cinematheque Ontario, where he has since programmed numerous Canadian and international retrospectives and series ranging in content from the films of Imamura to the cinema of Spain.

With Helga Stephenson stepping down as executive director of the Toronto International Film Festival and the Cinematheque at the end of the month, and Piers Handling stepping in, Playback asked Quandt what the future holds for the Cinematheque.

Playback: What does the director change-up mean for you and the Cinematheque?

Quandt: . The Cinematheque has grown very fast in less than four years, and I think that because Helga and Piers have worked so closely in that time, there may be some minor changes here and there, but that would be the extent of it. Helga has left an incredible legacy.

Playback: Have either Helga or Piers been involved in the Cinematheque’s programming?

Quandt: No. I have been given great independence. I certainly work with other programmers – including some who are with the Festival. There is a cross-pollination there, but largely (the programming) has been shaped by me.

Playback: Let’s talk about some of the outstanding programs of the Cinematheque.

Quandt: I think the program we launched with – the complete retrospective of films by Pier Paolo Pasolini – was beginning with a highlight. Over the four years, we have placed emphasis on similar series – complete retrospectives of a director’s work – so that you get the entire picture of the artist’s development. We have, for example, a complete retrospective of Fellini’s work next year, and we had one of Antonioni last year. The Italians have been amazing the last few years in restoring and touring many of their most important directors’ works.

Playback: What stands out as an accomplishment for you to date?

Quandt: I have to admit I’m very proud of some of the things we have done with Canadian cinema. We play a certain role in doing directorial retrospectives and we did a big series on Canadian cinema of the ’60s.

But it’s also some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that I’m very proud of. For instance, with the Denys Arcand retrospective (of 1991), the National Film Board very kindly agreed to subtitle a couple of his most important works, On est au coton and Le confort et l’indifference.

Then we discovered that some of his really early work – these are epoch-making films – were available, only as shortened versions and they were in very bad shape. So, working with the Cinematheque Quebecoise, we struck brand new 35mm prints. These prints have since been used for subsequent retrospectives. That’s what the Cinematheque should be doing: ensuring that certain central works of Canadian cinema are safe.

Playback: You have a loyal audience, which is great, but you need to increase membership. How do you see shifting and expanding your audience?

Quandt: What’s happening the world over with the kind of programming that we do – which is oriented toward the history of cinema – is that the audience is diminishing. It’s a struggle – the good fight – to keep people going to see films on the big screen.

We are constantly looking for ways to build our audience and one of them is the annual festival of Spanish cinema, which last year sold out almost all of its screenings. The audience was largely Spanish-speaking.

We also did a huge Greek series last year, which was again sold out. In each of those cases we worked closely with the communities because the idea is to bring these people in who may, in turn, become interested in some of the other films we show.

Playback: By screening these series, is the Cinematheque acting as the major exhibitor of these national cinemas?

Quandt: Yes. There are a lot of video stores, but they tend not to have the art films. So we are providing a kind of cinema that they would not otherwise get to see. On the other hand, it doesn’t always work that way. With Chinese cinema, all of their films get here by video or laser disc. So by the time we’re screening the films, we’re old news.

Playback: I know that you have wanted to initiate outreach programs for Ontario screenings, but money has been a problem.

Quandt: It’s part of our mandate and we should be getting films out there, but how do we do it? Putting a film on the circuit would be ideal – but it’s impossible financially. There are ways, we just have to find them. All we can do now is act as a resource to put people in contact with distributors and other sources.

Playback: How has the Cinematheque raised the profile of Canada as an international cinematic player?

Quandt: To start with, our brochure is internationally distributed. I am inundated with calls from other programmers all through the United States and often from Europe. It’s a really satisfying part of the job. For example, when we did the Atom Egoyan retrospective, the number of American organizations that called to inquire about his films was amazing. I can give them the source and, in some cases, put them onto the director.

Playback: The Carte Blanche series – a program which profiles a Canadian director’s film alongside a selection of their favorite work – is another way to platform Canadian film.

Quandt: In this case, we’ve had particularly good fortune with American calls to inquire about a filmmaker’s work. It’s a very rewarding program. It’s one of the things the Cinematheque should do: place Canadian cinema in an international context, both historically and in terms of contemporary cinema.