Telefilm Canada holds Annual Public Assembly in Ottawa under theme Talent without Borders

New ‘audience first’ campaign with The Hive; Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board of Canada to partner on a new online channel to showcase first features

Ottawa, February 5, 2016—Telefilm Canada held its Annual Public Assembly this morning as part of the CMPA’s annual Prime Time in Ottawa conference. The Assembly, held under the theme Talent without Borders, was attended by members of Canada’s audiovisual industry and government decision-makers.

At its annual meeting, Telefilm announced a new ‘audience first’ campaign—developed in collaboration with Toronto ad agency The Hive—to drive awareness for Canada’s screen productions. The objective, in association with the industry, is to change perceptions, build credibility and foster discoverability, most notably amongst millennials, for Canadian content.

In addition, Telefilm also announced a new partnership with the National Film Board of Canada for first features. The collaboration calls for the creation of a new online channel showcasing films by emerging filmmakers funded under the Talent Fund/Micro-Budget Production Program.

Telefilm released its 2014-2015 annual report, Talent without Borders.

“We can confidently state that our industry is getting stronger, is filled with talent and potential, and is on the cusp of achieving even greater things by working together,” said Michel Roy, Telefilm’s Chair of the Board. “It’s up to us all to better understand this rapidly changing environment and to be creative so that Canadian stories can be accessible, and so that they can be discovered, viewed and recognized everywhere, on all platforms, at home and around the world. Marketing a film or the talent that brought it to life is as important as making it.”

For more details on Telefilm’s objectives within the new competing environment, check out the 2015-2018 strategic plan launched in 2014-2015, Inspired by Talent. Viewed Everywhere.

Carolle Brabant, Telefilm’s Executive Director, added: “An important change we undertook was developing our role as promoter. The maturity of the industry and the quality of Canadian productions allowed us to move from a business development model to one focused on industry promotion. For the first time ever, two Canadian coproductions—Room and Brooklyn—have been nominated for best film at the upcoming Oscars. But going forward, we need to redouble our efforts to ensure Canadian works are properly funded, widely seen and grabbing the attention of media and fans.”

Highlights

Supporting and promoting Canadian talent

• In 2014-2015, Telefilm Canada supported the production and marketing of 87 feature films and the development of 301 projects, while also helping to promote Canadian talent at 42 Canadian film festivals, 97 industry events and initiatives and 36 international festivals, markets and events—for a total investment of $89.1 million.
• The Talent Fund, a private donation fund that supports Canadian talent, particularly emerging filmmakers, has raised more than $15 million to date. The Talent Fund finances 75% of Telefilm’s Micro-Budget Production Program, which supports emerging filmmakers seeking to produce their first feature-length films, with emphasis on the use of digital platforms.
• The Talent Fund/Micro-Budget Production Program added a new component for official-language minority communities. In its three years, the Program has supported 37 debut feature-length productions, including impressive debuts like Cast No Shadow by Christian Sparkes, Fire Song by Adam Garnet Jones, Un film de chasse de filles by Julie Lambert and Le dep by Sonia Bonspille Boileau.
• The promotion of Canadian talent is strongly supported by public and private partners such as the Canada Media Fund; Bell Media; Corus Entertainment; the Rogers Group of Funds, for the Theatrical Documentary Program; the CMPA; the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television; festivals; consulates; provincial organizations; and companies such as Birks, which again paid tribute to the year’s women in film at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
• Telefilm continued to provide the industry with leading-edge market intelligence and strategic research. The funding agency’s Audiences in Canada: Trend Report, published in October 2015, most notably revealed that film viewing is increasing in Canada, driven by digital platforms and the 13-24-year-old audience segment, and that attendance at movie theatres remains constant among heavy moviegoers and millennials.

Success stories

• In 2014, nine Canadian films earned more than $1 million each at the Canadian box office, including Mommy, The Grand Seduction, 1987 and Dr. Cabbie.
• In 2014, the Canadian industry spearheaded 67 coproductions, with total production budgets amounting to $527 million. Over the past 10 years, total Canadian coproduction budgets amounted to $4.8 billion. It should be noted that February 13, 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of Telefilm’s mandate to make recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual treaty coproductions to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
• In 2014, Canadian feature films were entered in 76 international festivals, winning 30 prestigious international awards. Highlights included Xavier Dolan winning Best Foreign Film for Mommy at France’s César Awards—the first-ever win in this category by a Canadian director—and a record 10 Canadian features at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Administrative excellence

• For 2014-2015, Telefilm’s management-expense ratio stood at 5.3%, the lowest in the organization’s history. Over the last four fiscal years, Telefilm has transferred a total of $6.7 million in administrative budget saving back into its funding programs.
• 85% of Telefilm clients stated they are satisfied with the services they receive—a level that exceeds the target rate of 80%.
• The Canada Media Fund renewed its service agreement for a three-year period.

About Telefilm Canada’s Annual Public Assembly
Telefilm will shortly post online the speeches delivered at its Annual Public Assembly as well as answers to questions received from attendees. Check out the Speeches section on Telefilm’s Website.

About Telefilm Canada—Inspired by talent. Viewed everywhere.
Created in 1967, Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada’s audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual treaty coproductions to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund and the Talent Fund, a private donation initiative. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

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Media enquiries:
Douglas Chow, Head, Public Relations, Telefilm Canada
(514) 283-0838 ext. 2048 or 1-800-567-0890
douglas.chow@telefilm.ca