Garceau dead at 74

National Film Board pioneer filmmaker Raymond Garceau died Jan. 5 at the age of 74.

An agronomist by training, Garceau directed close to 30 films during his 32-year tenure with the board. His final documentary, Quebec a vendre (Quebec For Sale), was shot in 1977 and examined the issue of arable land lost through speculation. Garceau joined the nfb in 1945, retiring in 1977.

CFCF on a high

cfcf Inc. reports ongoing financial improvement in 1993 with net earnings of $12.1 million on revenues of $161.3 million.

1993 earnings are four times the $2.8 million recorded last year when sales totaled $154.2 million.

This year’s performance is a major break with cfcf’s position prior to the restructuring campaign launched in late 1990. At that time, the company’s line of credit with the Toronto Dominion Bank was in jeopardy due to long-term debt of over $100 million and 1991 losses of $24.1 million.

In 1991/92, cfcf trimmed $30 million in long-term debt. Adrien Pouliot succeeded his father, company founder Jean, as ceo last January. cfcf’s total assets grew 8% in 1993 to $264.4 million. Operating incomes are also up this year – in broadcasting, up 17% to $15 million on revenues of $110 million, and in the cable sector, up more than 6% to $25.6 million on revenues of $51.3 million.

In 1993, publicly traded cfcf shares doubled in value. Traded at $8 on the Montreal Stock Exchange last January, the stock was listed at $16.75 last month.

cfcf owns cfcf-tv, the CTV Television Network affiliate in Montreal, the 12-station Television Quatre Saisons network, and Champlain Productions, a service operation which includes Supersuite, a high-end film and video post-production company.

Sold!

Nelvana Enterprises has sold its scary animated children’s series Tales from the Cryptkeeper to the ITV Network in the u.k. The series has also been sold in Germany, France, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

Call for entries

The second edition of the Festival international du court metrage de Montreal, a fast-growing showcase for Quebecois and international short films, has issued a call for entries.

The publicly financed festival is a competitive event with productions classified in three categories – international, Quebecois and student film. All productions – drama, animation, documentaries and experimental – produced after Jan. 1. 1992 are eligible. Films, other than student entries, must have been shot on 35mm, 16mm or Super 8. The deadline for submissions from English Canada has been extended beyond Jan. 17. Interested parties should contact festival director Bernard Boulad without delay at (514) 285-4515.