Telefilm Canada has taken the next step in its commitment to build best practices in authentic storytelling, launching a survey for feedback on what is already being done and the role funding institutions can play moving forward.

The survey comes after the Crown corporation announced plans to create a Subcommittee on Authentic Storytelling in April, which will be tasked with creating the industry guidelines. Participation in the survey may lead to an invitation to join the subcommittee, according to Telefilm.

Those asked to participate in the survey include content creators or members of industry guilds and associations who are “people of underrepresented identities and/or poorly represented identities; people focusing on authentic and inclusive storytelling in film or a related discipline; people currently practicing or working towards ensuring authentic storytelling; and people who have yet to encounter topics of authentic storytelling.”

The funder defines authentic storytelling as “sharing lived experiences in a way that is genuine and honest, especially for those being represented… showing the nuances and realities of those who hold these identities in day-to-day life, whether through true or fictional stories,” as written on the survey page.

The guideline will be used in addition to existing resources, including the Indigenous Screen Office’s On-Screen Protocols and Pathways and the Black Screen Office’s (BSO) Being Seen report.

The survey covers topics such as current gaps in authentic storytelling in the Canadian film industry; what the benefit of authentic storytelling is for the industry, audiences, and international market potential; and the role and responsibility of both the “content creation team” and “funding institutions.” Further details are available on the Telefilm website. The deadline to complete the survey is Aug. 22.

Telefilm’s work around authentic storytelling was sparked in the wake of a controversial acceptance speech from director Barry Avrich after winning the Canadian Screen Award for directing the documentary Oscar Peterson: Black + White, in which he stated “it doesn’t matter who tells [Black stories].”

The speech received criticism by equity organizations such as the Reelworld Screen Institute, BIPOC TV & Film and the BSO, who countered that sentiments such as that are “the reason why there have been and continue to be enormous barriers and inequality for Black and racialized creators in Canada’s screen sector,” in an open letter signed by more than a dozen organizations.

Telefilm released a statement on the acceptance speech in its announcement of the authentic storytelling subcommittee, opposing Avrich’s comment, adding that “it does matter where stories come from, who tells them, and how.”

The survey also comes at a transitional time at the Crown corporation, with CEO and executive director Christa Dickenson to depart next month to take the helm at CPAC. Francesca Accinelli was appointed the lead Telefilm in the interim last month.

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