Montreal: Canadian producers and theatrical distributors support a Telefilm Canada draft proposal for an expanded Canadian Feature Film Fund, but are reserving comment on operational and other details.

And while there will be time to sort any conflicting policy issues, the real action now shifts to the federal cabinet as it weighs competing departmental pitches, including the Heritage department’s own policy proposition to revamp Canadian feature film funding.

Both the cftpa and the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters say they’ll support a consolidated fund managed by Telefilm, if fund managers are responsive to an industry-wide board of directors.

In a wide-ranging set of proposals prepared for Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, Telefilm’s Francois Macerola has called for close to a 90% increase in direct federal funding, from $45 million this year to $85 million by April 1, 2000 and to $125 million by fiscal 2004.

Elizabeth McDonald, president of the cftpa, says she believes government is more interested in Canadian movies of late, especially following a screening of The Divine Ryans during a recent Liberal party caucus meeting in Halifax.

‘In fact, both [Industry Minister] Mr. Manley and [Finance Minister] Mr. Martin were invited guests,’ she says. ‘It was a fabulous screening and they loved it.’

Industry advocates are set to hammer out specifics from the Macerola document at committee meetings at cftpa, at the apftq, among distribs in cafde and at other trade associations such as the Directors Guild of Canada and screenwriters in the Writers Guild of Canada and sardec.

Richard Paradis, president of cafde, gives Macerola credit for his unwavering support for Canadian movies.

Paradis says there’s clear evidence of sustained success at the box office in Quebec, ‘and if there were more resources available we could probably work on getting a better hit-rate in English Canada.’ And while cafde members have yet to discuss Macerola’s proposals, Paradis says, ‘I can tell you at the outset we’re not convinced about his idea of a marketing board.’

Paradis says a governing board should give scaled priority to players closest to the industry, ‘in the sense that you want exhibitors to be there, but exhibitors which are mostly foreign-owned should be there but without substantial voting power. In fact, there are people in the industry who feel no Americans should be anywhere near this because they haven’t done anything in the past to help the Canadian film industry.’

McDonald says she can’t speak to the specific components in the Macerola document while the cftpa’s feature film committee and board are reviewing the document. ‘Depending on the committee’s position, we may even come out with a formal response,’ she says.

McDonald says it’s not inappropriate that Telefilm take a leading role in advancing the country’s feature film agenda, adding government will consult with other parties as it considers a new consolidated feature film fund. Some of the Macerola proposals ‘have been agreed to in the past, (for others) we’ll have to consider,’ she says.

The October speech from the throne may be a critical moment in a film policy time-line, but McDonald says it’s important government see the merits of an expanded approach to Canadian movies.

Even more important, she says, is that Finance Minister Martin find some new money for features from among the many highly competitive ministerial budget proposals.