Nearly 1,400 members of the Canadian film industry have urged the federal government to permanently increase Telefilm Canada’s funding to $50 million in the next fall economic statement, warning of the possible consequences for the domestic film industry.

A total of 1,388 signatories signed an open letter, addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge. The letter, obtained by Playback Daily, is dated for Nov. 7.

“If the federal government doesn’t follow through on its permanent funding campaign promise, Telefilm won’t have the funds to support the future success of feature film in Quebec and Canada,” read the letter, obtained by Playback Daily.

In 2019, the federal government made a campaign promise to increase Telefilm’s funding by 50%, followed by a 2021 campaign promise to permanently increase its funding by $50 million.

The government provided $105 million to Telefilm over a three-year period in the 2021 budget. In January, the government announced $100 million in funding spread over two years between 2024-25 and 2025-26, but has yet to make the increase permanent.

Signatories include Denis Villeneuve, Sarah Gadon, Atom Egoyan, Clement Virgo, Colm Feore, Deepa Mehta, Paul Gross, Jennifer Podemski, Sophie Deraspe, Xavier Dolan, Philippe Falardeau and Kim Nguyen.

“For those outside the production sector, 2026 may sound like a long way off. But developing, writing, producing, marketing and distributing a film takes many years,” read the letter. “The clock is already ticking. Even today, decisions are being made based on that 2026 expiration date.”

“This has created significant uncertainty for so many of us who work in the sector. Today we find ourselves asking if there is a long-term future in domestic feature film production, and whether it’s possible to support a family and build a viable career in this industry,” the letter continued.

The federal government is expected to table the 2024 Fall Economic Statement later this month, which will provide an update on Canada’s financial outlook and additional spending following the release of the 2024 budget.

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