TORONTO — In what it calls its “Directors Manifesto”, the Independent Filmmakers Committee of the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), chaired by Clement Virgo, is calling for an overhaul of Telefilm Canada and the end to its automatic funding tracks.
“Telefilm is an indispensable part of Canada’s cultural landscape with a dedicated team in place, but their current system is literally built to pick the movies they invest in based on a mathematical formula. We need to put the creative elements back at the centre of project selection,” said DGC’s new president Warren P. Sonoda, in a press release. “We believe the leadership at Telefilm is ready for real change.”
On August 31, Telefilm launched its current pan-Canadian consultation on its Success Index, Talent to Watch and Development programs, and members of DGC’s independent filmmakers committee met with Telefilm on November 9 to present their recommendations and submit their Directors Manifesto.
DGC’s manifesto focuses on three key recommendations, namely Telefilm should:
- Stop using the Success Index as a tool for project selection in favour of a rotational, inclusive and representational jury or similar mechanism to evaluate the creative elements of each project;
- Make inclusion for all historically underrepresented groups a public priority, internally and externally, starting with specific targets for gender, race and region among the board and senior staff and in the project selection process, as well as setting requirements similar to those adopted by the Oscars and the British Film Institute for productions to demonstrate their own progress on representation; and
- Nurture talent and the global reach of Canadian voices by shifting from a model that views production companies as agency “clients” to a collaborative model that helps filmmakers build their careers and gain “breakout” recognition domestically and abroad.
“These recommendations reflect input from dozens of filmmakers and the only surprise here is how united our community is on the direction we believe Telefilm should take moving forward,” said Virgo. “We have a rare opportunity to make our industry fairer, more inclusive and better positioned to create exceptional works, all at the same time.”
Atom Egoyan and Jasmin Mozaffari, members of the committee, added to the Guild’s calls for better representation in the industry.
“In a crowded global marketplace, it’s projects with a bold original voice behind them that have the chance to rise above the noise and get noticed,” said Mozaffari. “Telefilm can achieve greater reach and deeper cultural impact engaging directly with filmmakers both to help the agency shape its programs and help creatives to build their careers.”
“We need to understand that this is a truly transformative moment and directors need to be front and centre in signalling this change,” added Egoyan. “Just as the Guild represents our interests as creative forces, we must acknowledge the need for representation at all levels. A career is based on the combination of talent and opportunity, and we need to be sure that we are providing the latter at all levels.”
The full text of the Directors Manifesto can be found here.
