Vancouver: After years of asking the provincial government to restore or enhance its dwindling operating budget, British Columbia Film has finally been able to show what it can do with a few extra bucks.

A $5-million parting gift from the former provincial government this spring has sparked overall annual increases in homegrown production in 2001/02 of 71% and, more specifically, quadrupled the number of features the funding agency can assist.

Better yet for filmmakers, the bulk of the $5-million BC Feature Film Fund is intact since it will be doled out over two more years.

‘We’re pleased with the number of commitments for both TV and feature films this year,’ says Rob Egan, B.C. Film president and CEO. ‘It comes at a time when B.C. films are showing well at the Toronto and Vancouver festivals.’

Diversification and strength are demonstrated in two trends, says Egan. First, there is solid growth in the B.C.-owned and controlled category of production relative to the booming production services sector. Second, there are simply more feature films from emerging and established filmmakers in the independent production scene.

‘An encouraging trend is the increasing number of features – even features done without the assistance of B.C. Film. One of the ways we can make better films that succeed artistically and commercially is to make more films, period.’

Overall this year, 49 local film and television productions will receive $4.1 million from the Television and Film Financing Program compared to fiscal 2001 (ended March 31) when 33 productions shared only $2.4 million.

The new film fund, which boosts B.C. Film’s equity investment to a similar level six years ago, means 12 feature-length theatrical productions share $1.82 million compared to the three features that shared $450,000 in fiscal 2001. Represented in this year’s crop are six international or interprovincial coproductions and five first-time B.C. directors.

The fresh cash injection frees up existing money to invest in more TV production, with 27 non-fiction projects sharing $870,000 and 10 fiction series and TV movies sharing $1.4 million. While there is a minor drop in year-over-year funding for non-fiction programming, fiction funding is up 27%.

And it means that a smaller proportion of funding candidates will be disappointed this year. B.C. Film received 83 applications requesting $10.3 million this year.

The feature-film recipients include the low-budget Various Positions by Karen Powell (who qualifies by having a feature budget less than $750,000.)

Higher-budget features include Sharon McGowan’s B.C./Ontario copro St. Monica (Mortimer & Ogilvy Productions), Trish Dolman’s first feature Flower and Garnet (Screen Siren Pictures), Raymond Massey’s B.C./Ontario copro Long Life (Massey Productions) and Nick Orchard’s Canada/U.K. copro The Suspect (Soapbox Productions).

While TV series renewals such as Cold Squad (season five), DaVinci’s Inquest (season four), Edgemont (season three) and Big Sound (season two) get funding, the added money opens doors for new titles such as Busted! (Small Screen Productions) and Free Riders (The Word Farm) that probably would have gone wanting last year.

Other television projects getting support are MOWs Jinnah on Crime: Pizza 911 (Force Four Productions) and The Wild Guys (MVP Entertainment) and arts special The Overcoat (Principia Productions)

As in other years, there are many more non-fiction titles than fiction titles. Make Believe Media has two docs: First Son: The Portraits of CD Hoy and Modern Adonis: The Material Men. Victoria’s May Street Group will produce Mama June and Crimes of Compassion. Safe! A Story of Drugs and Resistance (Canada Wild Productions), Repulsion (Asterisk Productions) and Love and Duty (Infinity Films) are also on the list of investments.

B.C. Film has also put aside $150,000 to support marketing, promotion and development programs.

-www.bcfilm.bc.ca