It’s an unlikely partnership which unites Quebec’s filmmakers and distributors with theater owners. Their goal: to convince moviegoers in la belle province to stop buying American.

A marketing campaign to incite Quebecers to watch homegrown films is in the works, after stats released in January revealed that the box office for Quebec movies has been steadily declining since 2005. American flicks garnered 79% of all movie-ticket sales here in 2008, up from 76% a year earlier.

The initiative marks the first time Quebec distributors, producers and cinema owners have worked together to get bums in seats, says producer Pierre Even (C.R.A.Z.Y.).

The upcoming campaign, which will likely be launched in the fall, is another impressive example of how the province’s audiovisual sector rallies when it feels threatened.

Many pundits argue that the high-profile anti-Conservative campaign led by Quebec film and TV stars – exceedingly adept at hogging the local spotlight – lost Stephen Harper his chance at a majority government in the last federal election. It’s likely that one key reason the government chose to maintain the Canadian Television Fund in the recent budget is to fend off another outcry from the province.

The industry’s latest worry is the fact that ticket sales for Quebec films have dropped by half since 2005, when C.R.A.Z.Y., Maurice Richard and Les Boys 4 charmed the province and made-in-Quebec flicks accounted for a record 18.2% of overall ticket sales. In 2008, that number fell to 9.3%, from 10.7% in 2007 and 11.7% in 2006.

The marketing campaign idea – which Even compares to one that promotes local cheese – came out of the fourth annual Ciné-Québec trade show (Jan. 26-29), where filmmakers and distributors traditionally showcase their lineups for the upcoming year to cinema owners. The event is not unlike ShowCanada (April 28 to May 1 in Montreal), although Ciné-Québec features only Quebec and European films, while ShowCanada includes Canadian movies as part of a slate of mainly American films. Ciné-Québec’s chief purpose is to establish a strong connection between those who make films and those who show them.

‘If the theater owner or manager knows the film and has perhaps met members of the cast, he is more likely to get behind the film and welcome it into theaters,’ explains Ciné-Québec’s Jean Colbert.

Market penetration for homegrown films is easier in Quebec than in the rest of Canada – 65% of cinemas in the province are owned locally, and producers and distributors can draw on this province’s slate of well-known film and TV actors to sweeten their product’s allure. This year, Quebec action flick hottie Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge (Nitro) was one of Ciné-Québec’s star attractions, pumping the flesh in an effort to promote the soon-to-be-released Léo Huff.

And while nearly 80% of Quebecers routinely go to American movies, there is a greater impulse in the province than in the ROC to support homegrown films, especially if they are entertaining, says Association des propriétaires de cinémas et cinéparcs du Québec president Marcel Venne, adding that he believes the appetite for local fare has declined because it’s been a while since a film with potentially wide appeal has been released in the province.

Although Quebec films The Necessities of Life (Ce qu’il faut pour vivre) and Everything Is Fine (Tout est parfait) topped the nomination list for the Genies, with eight and seven nods, respectively, neither film was a box-office hit.

Venne and other industry watchers have high hopes for 2009, as a number of potential blockbusters are slated to be released, including Bon Cop, Bad Cop director Érik Canuel’s action flick Cadavres (Zoo Films, E1/Seville), which opened last month’s Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. Released Feb. 6 by Alliance Vivafilm, Denis Villeneuve’s controversial Polytechnique (Remstar Productions) topped the box office in its first weekend in theaters. Le bonheur de Pierre, featuring popular actor Rémy Girard, was scheduled for release Feb. 27 through Vivafilm, and Roger Frappier’s Dédé à travers les brumes, about legendary Quebec rock star Dédé Fortin, is due in theaters March 13 through TVA Films.