Montreal: Telefilm Canada has released a new set of significantly more explicit international coproduction guidelines, which the agency formally introduced at MIP-TV (April 2-6).

The revised policies are published in the just-released second edition of Telefilm’s Co-Production Guide: Partnering with Canada, also released at the spring program market.

‘International coproduction deals have become more sophisticated and we’ve had to consider every situation,’ says Johanne St-Arnauld, Telefilm’s director of international relations.

Significant rule changes include the admissibility of a cameo role, in the case of feature films. A cameo role is defined as a ‘brief appearance of an internationally known personality from a third-party country, involving no more than three shooting days.’ In the case of a TV series, one to four cameo and guest star roles are admissible, a mixed formula based on the number of episodes in the series. The exemption for one leading role remains unchanged. St-Arnauld says the third-party performer revisions ‘are a pilot project for the next three years.’

The revisions were drawn up following extensive consultation with sectorial associations across the country, and St-Arnauld says they reflect public policy concerns and treaty requirements, as well as necessary compromises between sectorial interests, specifically producers and performers in the case of third-party talent participation. Producers had pushed for two third-party leads, while ACTRA had proposed none at all.

Another important revision, in section 4 of the guidelines on financial, technical and creative participation, concerns a distribution provision, which stipulates, ‘Third-party country investors (typically a foreign broadcaster, executive producer, distributor or actor) should not demand more than 10% of the Canadian share of net revenues generated outside of Canada by a certified coproduction.’

Producers had wanted a higher limit, but St-Arnauld says ‘it’s a start,’ since no third-party provision previously existed.

The guidelines related to on-screen credits and citizenship have also been clarified, resulting in the need for affidavits and yet still more paperwork in the latter instance.

Telefilm’s 219-page bilingual Co-Production Guide profiles 126 Canadian film and TV production companies, up from 83 companies in ’99, listing shareholders, a brief company history, and a summary of international coproductions and other productions as well as projects in development.

Telefilm oversees Canada’s 48 international coproduction treaties representing 57 countries. The federal funding agency issued advance rulings for 106 film and TV coproductions in 2000, representing total budgets of $833 million.

Copies of the new Co-Production Guide: Partnering with Canada are available at Telefilm offices, on its website and at MIP. *

-www.telefilm.gc.ca