Montreal: Telefilm Canada executive director Richard Stursberg has outlined a number of strategic proposals aimed at consolidating and expanding French-language film and TV production beyond the relatively small home market.

In a Dec. 4 speech to an AACT – Quebec luncheon crowd of more than 200, delivered smartly in the language of Moliere, Stursberg said, ‘We need to begin to explore strengthening the financial underpinnings of the French-language film and television industry, primarily here in Montreal but also across the country.’

He called for a concerted industry-wide effort to leverage more export revenues. ‘We have started the process of strengthening our presence at markets and measuring our successes, but we will need your ideas on how to move forward faster.

‘My colleagues and I at Telefilm are concerned, for example, by the fact that France is pursuing closer production relations with Great Britain.

The natural partner for French coproduction is Canada, and we have to tackle this challenge head on. This search for coproduction partners is a challenge that French and English producers need to undertake together,’ he said.

Aside from the occasional TV movie or minority mega-project (Transfilm’s $55-million miniseries Napoleon, licensed by France 2, A&E, Radio-Canada and Super Ecran), there has been a marked decline in French-language TV drama coproduction in recent years. (According to new data from the federal funding agency, the only coproduced TV drama in ’02 is the $32-million miniseries Les Liaisons Dangereuses [Remstar Productions], a minority Canadian [20%] partnership with France and the U.K., shot in English and French with an international cast.)

Stursberg said Telefilm would assist the industry in exploring other ways of extending the industrial production base in the French market, namely through double-shoots and interprovincial coproductions, which he said represents a twofold advantage: ‘Enhance the profitability of individual productions [with a larger audience], while creating opportunities for English-language producers to work closely with francophones.’

‘Our experience with double-shoots suggests that they offer a very promising opportunity for Canadian producers.’ Current CBC/SRC double-shoots include The Last Chapter (Tele-Action), Ciao Bella (Cirrus) and Trudeau: The Early Years (Big Motion Pictures).

‘Enormously impressive’

Telefilm’s executive director won an enthusiastic round of applause when he proudly announced that Charles Biname’s Seraphin – Un homme et son peche (Cite-Amerique/Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm) had topped the $1-million mark, representing more than 34% of all box-office revenues, during its opening Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 weekend.

‘By any standard, Canadian or international, the success of the Quebec film and television industry is enormously impressive,’ he said. ‘Your ability to deliver well-made programming to a very appreciative audience is, frankly, a model and a challenge for all of us.’

Stursberg said the success of the French-language broadcasting system in Quebec is matched only by markets like France and the U.S., in terms of the popularity of homegrown shows. ‘Right now, a remarkable 10 out of the top 10 programs in the Canadian French-language market are produced here in this country,’ he added.

Asymmetric approach

Stursberg said the strategic goal of audience-building applies across the board, to both the English- and French-language markets, although the starting point, and circumstances, he said, are very different. ‘Our approach to the two markets must be asymmetric, reflecting their different characteristics and levels of maturity.’

French-track movie projects asking for $1 million or more from Telefilm are not subject to the tough ‘hurdle rates…and astringent requirements for P&A expenditures by distributors,’ Stursberg said. Nor are French-track films subject to the national comparative evaluations required of English-track films. In 2002/03, they include Melenny Productions ($3.5 million), Cinemaginaire ($2.27 million), ACPAV ($1.4 million) and Max Films ($1.4 million).

National comparatives

Telefilm’s national comparative process for English-language feature film projects seeking Canada Feature Film Fund investments of $1 million and more has opened an even wider door to the often-frustrated English-speaking industry in Montreal.

In the past, the Quebec operation’s ‘English’ feature film envelope for Montreal hovered around the $2.8-million level, enough for one or two films a year. With the new national comparative policy, Montreal filmmakers are delivering important new projects such as Emile Goudreault’s Mambo Italiano (Cinemaginaire/Equinox Films), based on the long-running English and now French stageplay from author Steve Gallucio, and John N. Smith’s Les Belles-Soeurs (Cite-Amerique/Seville Pictures), an adaptation of the internationally acclaimed Michel Tremblay property (staged in 43 countries over the past three decades). Both productions are budgeted at $6 million. And more are on the way.

Stursberg made it clear the longtime two-thirds English/one-third French national funding split will be maintained. In a follow-up question period, he said there would be no change in investment policies in regards to publicly traded companies.

CFFF 2003/04 guidelines were released in mid-December (see story, p. 9). Telefilm and the APFTQ producers association are negotiating a number of important (‘technical’) adjustments for the new year covering recoupment policy, filing dates, default rulings, E&O insurance and completion bond requirements, producer fees, and corporate overhead budgeting.

The full text of Stursberg’s ‘The ABC of Audience Building in Canada’ presentations in Vancouver (Nov. 13), Toronto (Nov. 20) and Montreal (Dec. 4) are posted on the Telefilm website.

-www.telefilm.gc.ca