Montreal: Quebec cultural funding and certification agency SODEC will concentrate its considerable resources in the year ahead on priority programs, the production and development of feature films, documentaries and short films.

Unique among provincial agencies, SODEC invested $16 million in film and TV in fiscal 2000/01 – $1.3 million in screenwriting, $11.4 million in production, mainly feature films, $1.2 million in its Jeunes Createurs program and $2.1 million in promotions, distribution and marketing assistance. An additional $1.2 million went to film-related export activities and SODEC provided $6.8 million in banking services to the sector.

In the period, the agency, headed by president Pierre Lafleur, disbursed a total of $34 million in general programs and export support to artists and companies in film and TV, performing arts, music recording and performance, book publishing, crafts and multimedia.

Joelle Levie, recently named director-general, film and television at SODEC, says the agency’s overall film and TV resources in 2002/03 are essentially unchanged, but notes the APFTQ producers association, supported by the industry consultative body Conseil national du cinema et de la production televisuelle, has asked Culture and Communications Minister Diane Lemieux for additional funds for next year, 2003/04.

Levie says SODEC’s program structure is being simplified.

The limited funding for promotions and distribution, about $300,000, will be targeted to ‘promotional tools,’ as opposed to P&A marketing campaigns, namely pre-lease materials like teasers, posters, promotional materials for TV and possibly special prints for selected regions.

Medium-length films and TV movies have been reclassified in ‘a one-off drama’ program, ‘Unique Works for Television.’ ‘What we have eliminated is everything related to series and miniseries for television,’ says Levie.

She says the department is looking at ‘a mid-term plan’ to assist independent exhibition companies, ‘a new program which will permit Quebec films and [under-distributed] international films to have longer runs in theatres.’

The program revisions follow a review and approval by CNCT, and have been submitted to the minister.

SODEC’s certification office, headed by director Stephane Cardin, reports advance tax rulings totaled $89.5 million in 2000/01, down from $96.7 million a year earlier. SODEC guaranteed more than $25 million in tax-credit advances to producers. The dubbing credit increased to $1.3 million from $200,000 in 2000. Advance rulings for film and TV service production were $3.9 million.

For production & screenwriting deadlines, go to www.sodec.gouv.qc.ca