Telefilm Canada has enacted the first of several strategies to increase its inclusion efforts both for Canadian filmmakers and its staff.

The film funder yesterday (Aug. 17) outlined new efforts to increase data collection on applicants from underrepresented communities.

Applicant companies to the new Development Stream for Racialized Persons launched earlier this month, as well as to its Talent to Watch, Development and Documentary programs, will have the opportunity to self-identify whether they are majority-owned and controlled by individuals who identify with one or more marginalized groups. The data collection will include racialized persons, LGBTQ2+, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, women, or a member of an official language minority community.

Telefilm has also listed two of the four positions created for BIPOC applicants, first announced in its Equity and Representation Action Plan to improve diversity levels in its staff. Both positions are with the project financing team, to help lead or advise their inclusion initiatives and assess applications self-identifying with underrepresented communities.

Responsibilities in both roles include becoming a community liaison for Telefilm, identifying new talent to support, overseeing the creation of a jury for the new development stream, while the lead will also develop outreach programs between Telefilm and underrepresented groups. The lead role will report to the national feature film executive in the English market, while the advisor role will report to the national feature film executive in the French market. The listings will close on Aug. 28.

“Telefilm recently began the recruitment process for two of the positions outlined in our Equity and Representation Action Plan,” said  E.J. Alon and Kathleen Beaugé, Equity and Representation Action Committee co-chairs at Telefilm, in a statement to Playback Daily. “We’ve expanding our outreach efforts in order to source a strong pool of candidates in collaboration with our various festival and regional partners. Telefilm’s external Diversity & Inclusion Working Group has also been very supportive of the process as well. While we are not able to comment on the volume of applications received, the response so far has largely been enthusiastic and positive, so we are confident that we will find great candidates to take on these roles.”

Telefilm also confirmed that the two additional positions – one in a senior management role and the other in business affairs – will be posted soon.

Increasing the diversity and inclusion levels within its staff and expanding its data collection are part of a seven-point action plan launched in July. Other strategies include a review of its decision-making processes and internal policies, as well as creating an action committee to roll out its plan.

The Equity and Representation Action Plan was launched in the wake of industry calls to release data on how many BIPOC filmmakers and companies had received funding in the last five years. Telefilm responded by revealing it had not collected any data, outside of recent COVID-19 relief funding and its Indigenous streams. The funder did disclose its staffing data, stating that 20% of its overall workforce identifies as a racialized person and 1% identifies as Indigenous.

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