Montreal: Domino Film and Television International has released nine films commercially in theatres in the past three years, including three films in ’98 – John Greyson’s Uncut, Ray Ramayya’s Seetha and Carole and Midi Onodera’s Skin Deep – and three more in ’99 – Raul Sanchez Inglis’ The Falling, Chris Philpott’s The Eternal Husband and Hunt Hoe’s Foreign Ghosts. The latest theatrical releases are Rodrigue Jean’s critically acclaimed Acadian rocker story Full Blast (distributed in French Canada by Louis Dussault of K-Film Amerique) and Davor Marjanovic’s My Father’s Angel, winner of eight b.c. film industry Leo Awards, including best picture, director and screenplay.

Domino faces challenges familiar to all small Canadian distributors, but recently has built up its infrastructure as it prepares for growth.

Based in Montreal and headed by veteran distributor and president Jeanne Ritter, Domino intends to double its national theatrical launch activity, from three to six films a year. To date, Telefilm Canada has supported Domino mainly through its marketing assistance program to a maximum of three releases a year.

‘We’ve enjoyed fairly steady growth and we’re about ready to take a big leap,’ says Ritter.

Because public support for Domino’s marketing costs has been cut back from 75% to about 25%, the distrib has had to wait, up to 18 months in some cases, until it can recoup its own costs, essentially through tv sales. Reduced marketing support has made expansion more difficult, but Ritter says Domino will increase its presence in foreign markets as it pushes for greater foreign sales. Movies sold internationally include Circle of Two (starring Richard Burton), Paul Almond’s The Dance Goes On, Mustard Bath and Skin Deep.

Domino is working on new projects from Rolf Schrader (Stone Coats), Rodrigue Jean, Mireille Dansereau and William MacGillivray. The company also distributes tv specials, documentaries and medium- and short-length films to various markets. Many of Domino’s theatrical releases have been on behalf of first-time directors.

Although Domino was incorporated in 1983, operating in tv and foreign sales, movies came quite a bit later, starting with Darrell Wasyk’s Genie Award-winning film Mustard Bath in 1995 and then Peter Mettler’s Picture of Light.

My Father’s Angel

Ritter thumbnails a ream of details and worries related to a movie’s theatrical launch.

Domino spent about $75,000 opening Davor Marjanovic’s transposed Bosnian drama My Father’s Angel.

A publicist was hired for the Toronto and Montreal launches in early December (the West Coast will be handled in a second phase). Newspaper ads are expensive and represented about 30% of the film’s marketing budget. Clips and ads were edited for use by broadcasters (notably cbc, Citytv and MuchMusic) as well as movie reviewers. Press coverage for the film was impressive. While reviews ranged from good to mixed to not so great, at least critics from virtually all the major dailies in Montreal and Toronto took up the challenge. The distrib also produced flyers and theatre posters, mini-posters, press kits and a series of black-and-white glossies and 35mm slides.

The film opened on three screens in Montreal and Toronto in early December to modest (and unreported) results, with a rollout in art houses in Ottawa and Western Canada to follow. Domino also sold the film to Viewer’s Choice, TMN-The Movie Network and the cbc, which will broadcast sometime in 2002. Radio-Canada has made an offer, but a full dubbing job for tv can cost $40,000. B.C. Film and the BC Tel New Media and Broadcast Fund also provided support.

Help from friends

Ritter says Moses Znaimer intervened directly, encouraging some ‘very much appreciated extra coverage by CHUM Television,’ as did Brian Freeman at the cbc.

My Father’s Angel tells a gritty, realistic tale of two Bosnian families, one Muslim, one Serbian, in a story which transports the horror of the recent Bosnian war to daily life in Vancouver. Scripted by Frank Borg and produced by Ranfilm, the film is the first made with the assistance of the National Screen Institute’s Features First program.

Leads include Tony Nardi, Timothy Webber, Tygh Runyan, Asja Pavlovic and Brendan Fletcher. Mort Ransen and David Bouck produced. Raymond Massey and Trevor Hodgson exec produced and Porchlight is the u.s. sales agent. Based in Vancouver, Ranfilm has produced such movies as Margaret’s Museum, Falling Backwards and Touched, starring Lynn Redgrave and Runyan.

Distributing to scale

Much of Ritter’s energy is invested in counseling filmmakers and actively helping to arrange agency funding, usually on the understanding of ‘a first offer and last refusal’ deal on distribution rights.

The distrib’s readers group looks at one or two scripts a week, including French-language movies and feature documentaries.

‘The chronic problem is people are looking for [production] budgets that are too large,’ says Ritter. ‘We’re interested in smaller films because we feel they have a real value with a different perspective. We’re also interested in larger films, but don’t feel it’s necessary to wipe out the smaller films as long as they hold to something that’s marketable.’

As a small distrib, Domino keys only on Canadian content, and puts in the extra effort by working closely with filmmakers and producers.

‘Because everybody knows what we’re working on is Canadian [film], they know for sure that they have Canadian content from our catalogue,’ says Ritter. ‘What we can provide which the large companies don’t is a very tailored and co-ordinated approach where we are entirely accessible.’

Ritter has more than 30 years in the business, starting in 1968 as a pa for cbc, with subsequent stints at Paramount, Disney, Astral, Telefilm and elsewhere. ‘In addition to production and distribution, I have also worked for the cmpda [Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association], which is the American majors [in Canada], which was very important in terms of setting my perspective. So I had some exposure as to how the big boys play.’

Doing things differently

At some point, between Paramount’s release of Friday the 13th part 4 or 5 and part 8 or 9, Ritter concluded, ‘It’s important to have a day job, but if I ever have an opportunity to make up my own mind I’m going to do things differently.’

It was at that point Ritter decided she wanted to work for the Canadian industry.

‘I saw how much money was being siphoned out of our country by multinationals and I thought it was important to not only hold on to some of the box office, tv and video money within the country, but also the incredible importance of the film industry in terms of employment in this country, and our general economy as a result.’

As a small distrib dedicated exclusively to Canadian product, Ritter says she’s under pressure to expand through strategic alliances with foreign partners. ‘I think to the best of my knowledge I am the only established distributor who has decided to do just Canadian productions. In some ways it simplifies my life and it means I can husband my energy and resources in this specific area.’

‘And part of my commitment to the industry and the growth of Domino is that I have taken on apprentices over the years,’ says the distrib. Up to two-thirds of these mentoring costs are picked up by Domino, with the aim of ensuring trainees acquire a genuine understanding of the business.

Ritter has also contributed to programs aimed at mentoring women in the film and tv industry, and was a member of an all-female Team Canada trade delegation to Washington, d.c. *