In this special report, Playback steps back to look at both the Montreal World Film Festival and the issues surrounding production in Quebec. Included are interviews with producers, distributors, funding agency managers and service providers on a range of topics including the benefits and trends of production in Quebec, the simmering conflict between domestic and location interests, developments in deal-making, acquisitions and coproductions with European partners, and the lay of the land at WFF. Stories by Leo Rice-Barker.

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Montreal distribution veteran Pierre Brousseau says the film business has tightened up and potential projects and partners are evaluated on a strict business basis.

Brousseau, vp, distribution, acquisitions and marketing at Behaviour Distribution, says the company’s French-Europe strategy is to seek out the best potential partners who themselves are looking to start or continue to produce in English.

A case in point: Brousseau says he and France’s Sirius Films and a Japanese group are developing a new English project, while Sirius and a u.s. partner are working on a second project which Behaviour intends to bring to Montreal for production.

Another example of where things are headed is an in-house Lux Films project which Mark Damon, head of filmed entertainment at Behaviour, is pitching to coproduction partners in England and Australia.

A third European project which Behaviour has been asked to look at is based on a best-selling French novel. European partners include France’s Blue Dahlia (Il Postino) and a Parisian coproducer, tnvo topper Thierry De Navacelle. ‘Those are the kind of European adventures that I am interested in,’ says Brousseau.

‘They [Europeans] like [working with] us as well because of our sensitivity to North American product. We are less likely to make casting or interpretative mistakes when it comes to transferring a French property into an English product. So this is a safeguard for them.’

Distribution trends

In terms of acquisition, Brousseau says he’s increasingly ‘circumspect’ with foreign-language product. Inflated ‘middle-of-the-road material’ continues to be of less interest. ‘A film has have something special, whether it’s an edge or enormous [market] potential,’ he says.

An example of the type of more upscale project that piques Brousseau’s interest is La Veuve de St-Pierre with actress Juliette Binoche. A high-profile, $20-million feature film project, it will be coproduced by Montreal’s Cinemaginaire and producer Denise Robert and France’s Epitete. The intention is to shoot in Nova Scotia this coming spring, says Brousseau.

‘This is the kind of film that will be selected by France for the foreign Oscar [nominations],’ he says.. ‘We prebought it and it is my biggest advance on any project in my career.’

As for other acquisitions, Brousseau says his main interest at WFF ’98 is in buying international rights for Canadian movies. ‘We also want to create a talent pool of [Canadians] who will be loyal to the company on a long-term basis.’