The mandate of the board of directors of sogic, including president and director general Charles Denis, ends March 31. Staff at sogic and Institut quebecois du cinema, the government advisory body on film matters, will be transferred to Societe de developpement des entreprises culturelles, says Pietro Sicuro, a spokesperson for the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications.

Sicuro says Denis has not been asked to take on another government job.

All sogic and iqc functions, plus certain operations currently handled by the department, will be taken over by sodec, effective April 1.

Pierre Lampron steps in as sodec president March 27. Producer Lorraine Richard and director Robert Favreau will sit on sodec’s board of directors.

The film and tv portion of sodec’s budget is expected to be in the $13 million to $14 million a year range, and the agency will also administer the $30 million annual refundable production tax credit program.

Cineplex, Cinemark mega-merger

Following Toronto-based Cineplex Odeon’s reported loss of $14 million last year and subsequent drop in stock earlier this month, Cineplex and Dallas-based Cinemark USA will join forces to create one of the world’s largest theatrical exhibition companies, Cineplex International Corporation.

The new company – which will handle 2,839 screens out of 519 theaters throughout Canada, the u.s., Chile and Mexico – plans to add about 900 screens over the next three years (195 in Canada, 515 in the u.s. and 190 in Chile and Mexico).

For both companies in 1994, estimated box office revenues are us$551 million total revenues are us$820 million and total theater operating cash flow is us$140 million.