Finding the right home for a Canadian film is no easy feat, but Tory Jennings, director, English content at SVOD and linear pay TV platform Crave and Starz, says the outlet is open to working with producers to find the right path.

Crave has a long history of showcasing Canadian and international cinema thanks to its pay TV origins as The Movie Network (a.k.a. TMN, though it was named First Choice when it launched in 1983), which was acquired by Bell Media in 2013 as part of its takeover of Astral Media.

That work has continued into 2023 with the launch of films such as Anthony Shim’s family drama Riceboy Sleeps (Lonesome Heroes Productions) on July 7 and Brandon Cronenberg’s horror Infinity Pool (Film Forge, Elevation Pictures) on June 30. Its Canadian fare sits side by side with a library of U.S. films such as Dune and The Batman, acquired through Bell Media’s long-term content deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Jennings (pictured below) — who has been with the platform since its TMN days at Astral Media – discusses how Bell Media is staying true to Crave’s film origins as it gears up its original series strategy and highlights some recent success stories (see chart below).

Playback: How would you characterize the current Canadian film strategy for Crave?

Tory Jennings: Our roots are in movies, from when we were formerly known as The Movie Network. We’ve always been very involved in pre-licensing feature films for the traditional channels, but also for SVOD. As you know, there are many, many partners needed in order to make feature films. It’s more recently, really, after seeing the success of Letterkenny (New Metric Media) [that we made] the decision to really focus and develop more series for Crave.

U.S. content, like our HBO content, is important for our service, but we also know that it’s extremely important to have our own originals. Right now we’re in a process where we’re juggling both [films and series].

In terms of the feature films, they’re very important for Crave. Not just on the English but also the French-speaking side. It’s a way for us to continue to work with both established producers and writers and creators, but also up-and-coming talent and regional content that we can work on, and pick up features from all across Canada, speaking to very local audiences.

What are some of the ways you acquire domestic films?

We support Canadian films through two different streams. We pre-license – so, prior to the production we take submissions, and our submission packages are available on the Bell Media website. The script needs to be at its very final stage and the financing for the film [should be] pretty much in place, then we are part of finishing the financing.

If we elect to not pick up [a film for] a pre-buy, but the film’s being made and they’re still looking for a partner, we will still consider it. We’re very active, for example, at all the festivals. Not just Canadian, but also international. We’re always looking to shore up our volume as we
juggle and manage the inventory coming to us through our international suppliers.

What can you share about the audience response to Canadian films on Crave?

Some of the Canadian films very much rival and compete on Crave against our blockbuster feature films. A Man Called Otto [starring Tom Hanks] and Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool premiered on Crave [in June] and were neck and neck in terms of their performance.

Documentaries are a significant element on the commissioning side of things for Crave. What are you looking for when it comes to a good doc pitch?

All-time top 10 most-created Canadian movies for first week streams (as of Aug. 6, 2023):

1. Kings of Coke
2. Infinity Pool (2023 Crave release)
3. Crimes of the Future
4. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band
5. The Nest
6. Code 8
7. 13 Minutes
8. 9/11: Cleared for Chaos
9. The Grizzlie Truth (2023 Crave release)
10. 23 Décembre (2023 Crave release)

We’re looking for strong narratives. So it’s really on the strength of the creative and whether we think it will appeal to our audience because,
ultimately, that’s the goal. We are managing a growing audience on Crave digital, but also a more traditional pay TV audience. So we’re looking at both of those and trying to pick projects that appeal ideally to both because there’s overlap, but we do see some differences in viewing patterns between the two.

For [documentary pitches], it’s all dependent on the strength of the idea and whether it warrants a film, let’s say, and ideally a theatrically-released film, because we’re looking for a more premium audience.

There have been instances of documentaries coming in and pitching us for one-offs where we suggest doing it as a series. For example, We’re All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel) (90th Parallel Productions) was submitted as a feature and then we worked with the producer and it evolved into a series. So, we’re very open to talking to producers about the content itself, the genesis of the idea and helping them adapt it.

Looking at narrative films, are there any particular genres that are resonating right now?

There’s always a need for more comedies. We tend to get a large submission of dramas. So, you know, you might have a leg up if you present a comedy or a documentary that’s a little bit lighter or more fun that could be considered a little bit more of a lean-back experience. But it’s very important that we’re telling important dramatic stories as well, so it’s a matter of us ensuring that we’re getting a bit of both.

This story originally appeared in Playback‘s Fall 2023 issue

Image courtesy of Neon