Activities Report > 2005-2006 Activities Report >

Production

The production of documentaries is increasing substantially, mainly due to the multiplication of specialized TV channels and to the enthusiasm of audiences for this form of cinema. There is also a renewed interest for theatrical presentations of certain types of documentaries such as those about wildlife and, more recently, about social and political issues.

In June 2005, Telefilm Canada announced the creation of a new program supporting feature-length documentaries for theatrical release. This one-year program allowed the investment of one million and a half in the development, creation and post-production of feature-length documentaries. One million went to English Canadian projects (to which $500,000 from CBC must be added), and the other half million went to French Canadian projects.

Also in June, the NFB and the Documentary Channel announced they would contribute an additional amount of $800,000 for the production of feature-length documentaries.

The numbers published by the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) at the Documentary Summit show that in 2006-2007, the CTF amount for documentaries went from $1,7M to $39,7M. The CTF revised its system of envelopes for broadcasters and, for the same year, the SRC/CBC enjoys a protected envelope equivalent to 37% of the above mentioned CTF amount (after having deduced administration costs and the Fund for aboriginal productions).

The Documentary Network was happy to learn about these changes. However, after studying the broadcasters’ envelopes statistics, we noted that educational broadcasters such as Télé-Québec and TVOntario had suffered substantial cuts in their envelopes — 14% and 30%, respectively.

We shouldn’t forget that educational broadcasters give auteur documentary, and particularly feature-length documentary, a privileged place in their timetable.

SODEC has seen a strong increase of documentary projects submitted. It is thus necessary to request an increase in the financial envelope devoted to documentaries.

2005-2006

In April, the Documentary Network (through Monique Simard and Malcolm Guy) publicly presented a Brief to the Standing Committee on Heritage called Documentary Film: Art Form and Projection of Democracy (2005). This Brief was followed by a document, submitted in September 2005, in which we responded to a series of questions of the Standing Committee. The Documentary Network is glad to see that the Standing Committee’s final report includes most of our recommendations regarding the recognition, financing and promotion of feature-length documentaries.

Manon Barbeau, Monique Simard and Lucette Lupien also represented the Documentary Network in discussions with Telefilm Canada regarding the creation and, later, the renewal of their program for feature-length documentaries.

Numerous meetings and discussions took place in order to make this program permanent, in particular with agents from Canadian Heritage: Anne Champoux, main advisor of the Minister Frulla (spring 2005), Jean-Pierre Blais, Cultural Affairs Deputy Secretary, Jean-François Bernier, Director of Cultural Affairs (January 2006), and Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Director of Film & Video Policy.

Finally, the Documentary Network was consulted by Nordicity, the firm in charge of a survey regarding the renewal, every five years, of the feature-length documentaries program. This issue was also addressed in an exchange we had with the Minister Oda.

The Documentary Network intervened vis a vis the Canadian Television Fund to protect the financial envelope of broadcasters for the “documentary genre” on the one hand, and the educational and public network envelope — which has suffered enormous cuts — on the other. Regarding this issue, many meetings took place and emails were exchanged with Valerie Creighton, Executive Director of the CTF.

The Documentary Network established links with TVOntario to help defending the credits alloted to them by the CTF, and with CTV to avoid a greater decrease of their documentary envelope.

2006-2007

The Documentary Network continues its discussions with Telefilm Canada and Canadian Heritage to ensure the creation of a permanent program supporting feature-length documentary for theatrical release.

We will do a follow-up with the Canadian Television Fund to protect the educational television envelopes since these televisions show great interest in auteur documentaries and attribute privileged time slots to feature-length documentaries.

Furthermore, the Documentary Network has started and will pursue discussions with SODEC to obtain an increase of their documentary envelope, particularly in the case of feature-length documentaries. We will also work together with the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and request increased support for Télé-Québec — such an increase should help Télé-Québec trigger more documentaries.

Co-production agreements. Canadian Heritage was approached to solve the obstacles that impede co-producing with Belgium. Jean-Pierre Gauthier from Heritage is in charge of following-up.