Vancouver: Domestic producers on the West Coast will have to be satisfied with development funding, skills enhancement and distribution support initiatives from British Columbia Film in 2003, unless the provincial government substantially boosts its annual allowance in the next budget beginning April 1 – an unlikely scenario.

Compared to 2001, the provincial funder suffered an 83% drop in volume by title and a 63% drop in investment in 2002 when the government slashed B.C. Film’s operating budget to $2.28 million in a province-wide round of cost cutting.

The primary victim of the cuts was television production funding, meaning that B.C. Film did not participate in the production of documentaries, MOWs or series made in B.C. In 2001, B.C. Film funded 35 television programs.

‘We suffered serious program impacts [last year],’ says CEO Rob Egan. ‘But our job is to be innovative and adapt and offer a set of programs that are effective within budget parameters.’

For instance, the internship program – in which B.C. Film shares the salary costs of apprentice writers, producers and distributors with active companies – doubled from nine to 19 people in 2002. B.C. Film maintained the number of students (at seven) it sent to the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto.

And on Dec. 11, B.C. Film hosted a workshop called Tools of the Trade that flew in guests such as Hussain Amarshi (Mongrel Media), John Fremes (Fusion International Sales), Charlotte Mickie (Alliance Atlantis) and Wendy Reeds (Curb Entertainment) to speak to 30 local producers about finance and distribution. This pilot workshop is the model for others, says Egan.

B.C. Film also introduced the Boosting the Box Office program, which augments the marketing budgets of about six B.C. features per year. To date, Suddenly Naked and Punch have accessed about $100,000 for audience development, with other applications expected. Producers, meanwhile, can still apply for travel subsidies and participation in international markets like MIPCOM through B.C. Film’s Passport to Export program and involvement in the Canada Pavilion.

On the development side, funding commitments for film and television of all genres increased. Overall, in fiscal 2002/03, 85 productions shared $889,000 in development funding, up from 80 projects and $817,000 in 2001.

For feature films, 2003 may be the last year for production funding, with the remaining $1 million of special grants okayed by the previous provincial government running out. Last year, B.C. Film participated in eight features sharing $1.28 million in funding.

‘We’re hopeful that after the cuts [this year], funding will be maintained,’ says Egan. ‘We’d need a significant lift to get back into TV production financing.’

Administration at B.C. Film costs about $800,000 per year.

-www.bcfilm.bc.ca