The timing could hardly be better. While Shaw Communications says it will no longer contribute its annual $56 million or so to the Canadian Television Fund – and Quebecor has similarly exited the CTF and says it will only put money into a new fund on its own terms, there’s a silver halide lining on the horizon amidst all the doom and gloom surrounding Canadian production financing.

At a meeting at Prime Time on Feb. 22, Fujifilm Canada and The Harold Greenberg Fund will announce the creation of Reel Support, an independent feature film fund geared toward development and production. It will be financed initially through a percentage of revenues from sales of Fuji’s negative film stock and pro video products, while HGF will own the Reel Support brand and independently handle the management and delivery of the new stream.

‘It’ll mean more money to do the exact activities that we’ve always done,’ says John Galway, HGF’s Toronto-based president, who hopes to get 10 to 12 additional projects up and running with $10,000-$25,000 each in assistance following a September application deadline. ‘We’re not launching a new program. We’re just using it to help support feature film development and production work that we do both on the English side and the French side through Le Fonds Harold Greenberg.’

Aptly, Fuji’s senior management was inspired to take action following a discussion of funding resources for indigenous production at last year’s Prime Time.

‘[It’s] a new concept and a new revenue stream in terms of helping Canadian indigenous production,’ says Alan Fraser, senior sales manager at Fujifilm Canada. ‘The whole plan was built from that initial idea of how Fujifilm could get involved on that level.’

But Fuji soon realized it needed a partner with experience in fund management. Fraser researched more than 35 private sector funding sources before deciding on the HGF.

‘They’re national and very well-respected,’ says Fraser of the Astral Media-funded HGF. ‘They also have a really good vision in how they support the Canadian production industry.’

In light of the recent CTF crisis, Galway is excited about the opportunity to inject new money into the industry.

‘It’s a challenging time to be doing this, because of… the state that we’re now in,’ he says. ‘But we’re very optimistic, because in early-stage development, where there’s not that much funding [to go around], a little bit goes a long way.’

What makes this initiative unique is that it’s industry-driven, adds Fraser, who will issue an open call at CFTPA for other manufacturers and suppliers to contribute.

Fujifilm, like main competitor Kodak, has been hit hard by a declining consumer-end photo film business, and so sees more opportunity in the professional sector.

‘[We’d like] manufacturers and suppliers in the feature film industry that have been reliant on the feature film industry for their own successes all of these years to get on board and consider working through this funding vehicle,’ Fraser says.

Both Galway and Fraser stress that suppliers already help through aggressive pricing and other incentives, but that Reel Support’s mandate is to add to the mix of funding that’s already so important to the industry, stimulating private sector funding and directing new dollars where they’re needed most.

‘How can we help the people who are creating content? That’s the message that I really want to drive – that this initiative is being put in place to do that,’ Fraser says.

But what if no one else answers the call?

‘Looking at it from the supplier/manufacturer perspective in Canada, we need to do what we need to do – which is supply the industry,’ he says. ‘Cumulatively, we make a very strong force. If we can strengthen the Canadian production industry, we can start looking at delivering extremely good content and selling it around the globe. Once we look at elevating ourselves to be able to do that on an ongoing basis, we will have a thriving Canadian industry.’

Fraser says Fuji is prepared to be the only company feeding Reel Support for as long as it can, but sees strength in numbers.

He adds: ‘We’re always hearing about these negative things. Here’s a positive thing for us to concentrate on. If it can cause somebody else to rethink something and go off in their own dynamic – even outside of this plan – then we’re going to be in really good shape.’

www.reelsupport.ca