A year-old initiative by ACTRA that opened the door for actors to work on independent films at below scale has swung shut.

According to an open letter on the Canadian Actor Online Website, Brian Topp, executive director of ACTRA Toronto Performers, says the Canadian Low-Budget Incentive for Performers and Producers is under review. A report on the pilot program’s strengths and weaknesses coupled with recommendations is pending, he says.

‘ATP’s Council will shortly be considering a proposal to strike a low-budget working group to review this report and to design a successor program. If all goes well Council will consider this new program in March or April,’ Topp writes.

Still, according to sources at ACTRA, there are no guarantees that a new or revised program will see the light of day.

For some independent filmmakers, the loss of CLIPP could be a serious blow to their plans.

Under the program, principal actors earn 10% more than the average wage on a production.

Don Booth, an independent producer, has his first feature in development and was readying for a November shoot. Without CLIPP, he doesn’t know what will happen to his film.

‘There’s no way I can pay scale. I need this program,’ he says. ‘I don’t think the film can go without it.’

Booth points out that CLIPP not only helps filmmakers, but also allows top Canadian actors, who are often relegated to supporting rolls in U.S. productions, to step into the spotlight as lead performers in these smaller-budget productions.

‘It’s a really crucial component for an industry that makes its own stories,’ says Booth. ‘From an industrial/creative point of view it’s a wonderful idea and something that the community has needed for a long time.’

In the last year, filmmakers including Soo Lyu (Rub & Tug) and Jay Dixit (It All Happens Incredibly Fast…), took advantage of the initiative to see their projects through to completion.

Chris Philpott, an independent filmmaker who used CLIPP to shoot his second feature, The Happy Couple – currently in post-production – says the program was a critical component in getting the film underway. CLIPP allowed him to bring in top actors, including Genie nominee Chris Owens, Kelly Harms and Gordon Currie.

Before CLIPP, it had taken Philpott five years in ‘development hell’ to get the feature on track.

‘The film wouldn’t have gone last year at all without CLIPP. I didn’t have enough money to go scale,’ he says. ‘[CLIPP] opened up a door that wasn’t there before.’

ACTRA says that while CLIPP is under review, low-budget proposals will be considered on a ‘case-by-case basis within the terms of the former CLIPP agreement.’