OTTAWA – It’s an annual battle, asking for maintenance of the Canadian Television Fund, and the Directors Guild of Canada took its message to Parliament Hill this morning.
DGC President Alan Goluboff (Mutant X, Destiny Ridge) along with members Sturla Gunnarsson (100 Days in the Jungle, DaVinci’s Inquest) and Michel Poulette (Louis 19, Le Roi Des Ondes, Urgence) held a press conference to yet again advocate the renewal of the Canadian Television Fund (CTF). Together with their Quebec counterparts, l’Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ), the group asserted the Fund’s importance.
"Television is the most powerful communication tool we have to reach Canadians. The government has been an invaluable supporter of Canadian creators, allowing us to bring our own stories to Canadian audiences. Thanks to the CTF we’ve been able to create original, high-quality programming and we urge the government to continue this funding," said Goluboff.
The CTF is the lifeblood of domestic television production in Canada, says the release. "Combining public and private contributions, the CTF has invested $1.95 billion in Canadian TV production since its inception. CTF investment acts as a trigger to other financing, so it has helped create more than $6.5 billion in total production, bringing 20,895 hours of new, high-quality Canadian programs to our television screens."
