Judging by preliminary submissions to the Heritage Ministry’s Feature Film Policy Revue, industry consensus is that imposing quotas on exhibitors is an unlikely solution to what the Directors Guild of Canada dubs ‘Canada’s abysmal feature film track record.’

The first round of filings, submitted March 20, include contributions from CHUM Television, the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the dgc, actra and the cftpa. Second-round comments are due April 17.

While all appear in agreement that more money should be available for the development, production, marketing and distribution of Canadian feature films, where the money should come from, how it should be administered and what role each sector of the industry should play is clearly up for debate.

The dgc’s submission recommends that a tax on revenues from the exhibition, rental and sale of films in Canada should be imposed, with the proceeds earmarked to support Canadian film. The dgc also suggests spending and scheduling commitments should be imposed on Canadian broadcasters, with additional quota bonuses for broadcasters that air Canadian feature films that have had a theatrical release.

With the exception of A-Channel in Alberta, the dgc says conventional television broadcasters are not contributing their share to the Canadian film industry and the renewal of broadcast licences should be conditional on spending commitments to feature film.

‘We already play the largest role because we bring more audiences and revenues to Canadian feature films than theaters do,’ says Michael McCabe, president of the cab. ‘We shouldn’t be penalized, we should be encouraged.’

Speaking for chum and its subsidiaries Citytv and Bravo!, which both license and prebuy Canadian films, Paul Gratton, gm of Bravo!, says City prebuys between 12 and 15 Canadian films per year while Bravo! has done so with four features including Thom Fitzgerald’s The Hanging Garden. The licences range from $75,000 to $300,000.

‘Citytv, unlike any other broadcaster, is open to cutting-edge, street-smart, indigenous Canadian movies. It’s prepared to take chances where no other broadcaster would dare to tread,’ says Gratton, who also notes that once a Canadian film is committed to, there is an ‘internal promotional hype machine’ that kicks in. ‘There will be an immediate visit on-set by MovieTelevision, and the promotion will continue up until the film is ready to be released.’

With many recommendations suggesting that broadcasters and distributors team up to promote films to the benefit of each other, Gratton says such an arrangement was worked out with Cineplex Odeon Films on The Hanging Garden where Bravo! airtime was used to promote the film’s theatrical release.

‘Distributors of Canadian films rarely approach broadcasters with proposals,’ says Gratton, who adds that the question at hand is ‘not what broadcasters should be doing for Canadian films but how distributors should be using broadcasters.’

For its part, cab is against programming quotas. Its submission recommends incentives for broadcasters to get involved in feature film including being allowed to get into production by way of changing the existing Telefilm Canada rules prohibiting funds for films in which broadcasters are full or part owners.

The cab also suggests that the crtc consider the advertising or promotion of Canadian films not part of the allotted 12 minutes of advertising allowed per hour.

cafde, representing Canada’s major film distribution companies, also recommends that broadcasters play a more significant role.

‘Should a broadcaster which shows two feature films a day in its schedule be required to air a certain number of Canadian feature films in primetime?’ asks cafde, echoing the rhetorical nature of the Heritage discussion paper. ‘Should the cbc be required to develop an ongoing program which would promote Canadian feature films? Should broadcasters invest in Canadian feature films as a condition of licence?’

cafde also recommends partnerships between producers, distributors and exhibitors/broadcasters on the marketing of Canadian films, while suggesting that legislation be reintroduced recognizing the Canadian market rights of a film as distinct from the American ones.

In addition, cafde endorses the creation of a fund similar to the ctcpf for feature films, with a formula developed to ensure that marketing budgets are available on a pro rata basis with production budgets.

The cftpa’s submission includes a separate proposal offering a recommended structure and setup of a new Canadian Feature Film Fund.

The association recommends that the proposed fund’s financial requirement be a minimum of $100 million annually for at least a four-year period. The fund’s focus would be the development and production of ‘culturally distinct’ and ‘market-oriented’ films as well as the marketing and promotion of these films.

While recommending that existing funding sources such as Telefilm and pay-tv equity dollars for the ‘chronically underfunded’ feature film industry be topped up with new public money, the cftpa points to a number of potential new sources to augment its proposed fund.

Among the sources are a 3% levy on the wholesale price of videocassette rentals, as well as Investment Canada commitments for new business and indirect takeovers, and the encouragement of broadcasters, most particularly the cbc/src, to license and exhibit more theatrical feature films.

The cftpa recommends that the governance of the fund be by a board of directors establishing policy mechanisms, guidelines and budgets made up of distributors, producers, exhibitors (including broadcasters with a demonstrated commitment to feature films), and the government in a style similar to the ctcpf, although the association stresses the different needs of the Canadian feature film sector.