With a record 366 Canadian films submitted this year, Perspective Canada coprogrammers Helen du Toit and Liz Czach spent an extra three weeks in front of the screen to select the final 19 features and 42 shorts in the festival.

‘We had 80 more submissions than last year, so the screening process was quite intense,’ says du Toit. ‘With funding cuts, we had thought that submissions would dwindle, but that hasn’t happened yet.’

Instead, the programmers report a growth that encompasses a wide array of themes and style. ‘The breadth of the films impressed me,’ says Czach.

‘I think it’s a testament to the development of the film industry across the country, and, with the decrease in public funding, perhaps filmmakers are finding more innovative ways to fund their films.’

One way, which is expected to increase in coming years, is by finding coproducers.

We are starting to see more films that are defined as Canadian, but because of coproducers, they are really international,’ says Czach. ‘Perspective Canada will continue to mirror that growth in the industry.’

So how do the programmers face the daunting task of weeding out films and choosing the Perspective Canada program?

There are no elaborate formulas, say both Czach and du Toit, just a selection process that focuses on the merit of the films.

‘We each screen all the films, sometimes alone and sometimes together,’ explains du Toit. ‘Then we meet once a week to discuss our findings. We don’t knock anything entirely off the list until the end, because sometimes a film comes back to you and stays with you. We tend to be in sync, but if we’re not, we go back and screen them and then have a debate if necessary. What we usually find is that the cream rises to the top.’

Czach agrees. ‘Our basic rule is that it has to be directed by a Canadian. Beyond that we are very open and judge the film on its merit, on a case-by-case basis. We select the best of what is sent to us.’

In terms of choosing a balance of shorts and features, Czach says the duo tries to be in sync with the number of submissions they have received.

‘Of the 80 more submissions we received, 65 were shorts. So this year, we have more shorts in the program to reflect that.’

Similarly, du Toit says the balance between featuring new filmmakers versus established ones and highlighting risky versus more commercial fare is achieved naturally through their selection process.

‘As a festival, we get to take risks,’ says Czach. ‘We can feature films that aren’t very commercially driven and we are very open to that. If it’s strong, we can show it.’

The Perspective Canada mandate is and always has been simply to showcase and promote Canadian cinema. ‘I want to help aspiring filmmakers to hook up with development people, financiers, buyers, distributors,’ says du Toit.

Her advise for aspiring directors who want to make it into the film festival? ‘Make a great film,’ she says simply.

‘Speaking for myself, I think people need to be much more ruthless at the editing stage. They also need to spend more time on the story, and Canada needs to nurture storytellers. Many auteurs or directors would do well to hook up with talented writers. I believe more companies should be supportive of the development process – especially the storytelling and the story editing.’

In sum, says du Toit, ‘the most important thing is to get it right before going to camera.’