BANFF – Canada’s Indigenous screen-based sector received a boost Monday with the announcement of a dedicated Indigenous Screen Office tasked with supporting the development, production and marketing of Indigenous content.
Speaking at the Banff World Media Festival, Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly said that the move is the result of collaboration between the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC), the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Telefilm Canada, the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Associated partners include Bell Media, the Harold Greenberg Fund and Vice Studio Canada.
“Too often, Indigenous creators have faced systematic barriers in the industry that have made it difficult to share their stories”, said Minister Joly, in the announcement. “The creation of the Indigenous Screen Office will help address these barriers, provide direct support to creators and showcase Indigenous content in Canada and on the world stage."
According to recommendations developed by a multi-stakeholder engagement process between May and November 2016, these barriers include fragmented and inadequate funding, difficulty in accessing distribution, a lack of Indigenous representation in decision-making positions, and production obstacles such as capacity, diversity of Indigenous languages, cost of travel and the "ghettoization" of Indigenous content.
First steps will be to hire a qualified individual to oversee strategic objectives and operations. The Indigenous Screen Office will then implement a long-term strategy supporting all levels of talent development, including short and feature script development, television and digital media, and training. It will also work to facilitate relationships with broadcasters, distributors, training institutions and federal funders.
“In developing the long-term strategy for the Indigenous Screen Office, it will be key to ensure that Indigenous Canadians, as custodians of Indigenous narratives, are in charge of telling stories about Indigenous Peoples and have a unique perspective when telling those stories; to promote and respect Indigenous cultural protocols; to guarantee that leading institutions in the audiovisual industry are responsive to Indigenous Peoples' needs and priorities; to respect the integrity and intention of Indigenous artists and ensure they have opportunities to flourish as other Canadians do; and to support their artistic visions and perspectives from across the country”, added APTN CEO Jean La Rose. “These principles are the cornerstone upon which our new relationship will be based.”
In photo: Minister Joly is pictured in the front row, second from left, at Monday's announcement of the new Indigenous Screen Office for Canada
