Coproduction in 1997 is booming. Between January and the end of July, 20 film and 32 tv projects with cumulative budgets of $377.9 million received advanced rulings from Telefilm Canada’s international affairs office. The Canadian investment is $193.8 million or 51% of the total.

This year’s action represents a major increase over the entire 1996 coproduction output when 20 feature films and 21 tv projects were certified representing total budgets of $255.4 million.

And in keeping with Canadian coproduction tradition, Montreal-based producers and their partners in France are leading the parade.

sodec president Pierre Lampron says French-language coproduction continues to grow in Quebec, with $97 million worth of projects produced last year, including series, tv movies, features and animation.

‘I won’t say we are satisfied but after all it is an important volume of production,’ he says.

European potential

‘With Europe, and France in particular, French-language production with Europe is by far the most open market with the most potential,’ says Lampron. ‘The truth is that the American market, which is accessible when production is done in English, is not when it is done in French.

‘We need a constant strategic alliance to hold on to our position in international commerce and for the maintenance and defense of our programs and laws, which I can say are the expression of our ‘cultural exemption.’ ‘

Lampron says it’s important to note that Europe is divided on the issue of exemption for audiovisual products, with countries like the u.k., Germany and Holland pushing for more free-market liberalization, while France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and others insist on the maintenance of a high level of protection, including quotas.

Telefilm Canada executive director Francois Macerola says it’s critical for Canada to position itself as a real partner to Europe, and as such it is also imperative that Canada amend its overall trade treaty with the European Union.

‘Now we don’t have any audiovisual clause in our treaty. In order to amend our treaty it g’es without saying that we need the support of the member countries of the European Union,’ says Macerola.

The Canadian government and the film and television industry are lobbying in Europe for a recognized membership role in the eu. Such status would allow Canada access to important Media ii programs including efdo (distribution), Cartoon (animation) and Euroaim (production financing and marketing).

‘And we want to have access to Eurimages, and in order to do that we must have a legal status,’ says Macerola.

Macerola will be meeting with many European and international delegations (China Film Bureau, Eurimages, the Dutch Film Fund, Italy’s anica, Unifrance International and Export-Union des Deutschen Films-Germany, among them) at both the Montreal World Film Festival (Aug. 22 to Sept. 2) and the Toronto International Film Festival & Symposium (Sept. 4-13).

Coproductions continue to face an uphill climb in the minority producing market.

In response, Macerola says the coproduction agreements should be developed to include a codistribution component. The proposal is likely to result in additional investment, but while details have yet to be worked out, Macerola says the starting point is a best-effort financial commitment from both parties.

Telefilm, France’s cnc and sodec have met on the issue and will pick up the discussion at mipcom in September.

Macerola says it’s essential the growing volume of Canadian coproduction ­ expected to hit a record $450 million in 1997 ­ be efficiently and creatively distributed in the participating countries.

‘People such as Denis Heroux and Harold Greenberg in his day and others have tirelessly promoted coproduction, leading endless lobbying efforts with the European Union,’ says Lampron. He says these and new efforts ensure the existence of ‘an alternative coproduction approach ­ even as international market forces tend to isolate our position.’

Lampron says the same anti-coproduction tendencies exist in Canada, ‘led by private broadcasters and the telecommunications companies which are putting incredible pressures on the Canadian government to drop all those measures in support of ‘unnecessary’ cultural industries.’

Lampron says the cultural industries have to resist and that it is essential organizations like sodec and France’s cnc create the best possible conditions by developing a strong territorial integration strategy and ensuring the free and maximized circulation of French-language productions in both jurisdictions.

sodec’s film and tv program allocation remains at close to the $14 million level this year despite unprecedented Quebec government cutbacks.

In multimedia, sodec administers a $1 million ‘refundable’ program as well as a maximum 35% production tax credit program, by far the most generous in Canada.

As for film and tv certification, the agency approved tax credits worth some $73 million in ’96/’97, and Lampron says the same level is anticipated this year.

(Qualified English-language film and tv productions and French-language tv productions are eligible for a 15% credit. French-language documentaries and features have a 20% credit threshold. tv talk shows no longer qualify.)

Telefilm will invest between $45 million and $50 million in French-language film and tv production and development in ’97/’98, says Macerola. Another $6 million is available for marketing purposes through the Feature Film Distribution Fund.

‘So that’s a lot of money. It means we’re going to inject in film production and distribution, on the French side, $21 million or $22 million,’ he says.

If there is a worry on the horizon, and there is, it is that the ctcpf allocation in ’98 drops to $50 million, down from $100 million in both ’96 and ’97.

The potential loss of $50 million in public funding next year will spark an unprecedented shakedown in the industry in Canada.

‘Our only objective at Telefilm, and that g’es for the Licence Fee Program too, is in the next two or three months to convince every single human being [in government] that this fund must be renewed. It is vital for the future not only of our television industry but also our feature film industry,’ says Macerola.

Close to half the funds available to French-track movies this year, almost $7 million, are sourced from the ctcpf.

Per Macerola, Telefilm’s international mandate should be expanded beyond administering the coproduction treaties and its well-received partnership programs in Europe, including the u.k. Industry Immersion for Canadian Producers of Children’s Programming and Animation.

(That session is being organized in association with the Canadian High Commission in London and is scheduled for London Nov. 17-21.)

Macerola says the agency has the expertise to help other government agencies and departments as well as the private sector and should be more deeply involved in the promotion of the treaties and in the formal organization of the Mixed Commissions and their agendas.

‘We’ve closed the l.a. office and the London office, but nevertheless I have a fantastic team in Montreal.’

He says international relations director Debbie Drisdell and Telefilm Europe associate director Sheila de La Varende have built up widespread industry and government credibility and their expertise should be fully exploited to this country’s benefit.