TORONTO – Educational broadcaster TVOntario has pulled the plug on a documentary about Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne and is asking the producer to refund more than $100,000.
TVO, owned by the provincial government, said Friday that it has formally advised White Pine Pictures that it is terminating the agreement for the documentary, and that it is seeking reimbursement for $114,075 already advanced to the company for the documentary's production. The decision comes after the film’s director, Roxana Spicer, resigned from the project.
"From the beginning, TVO insisted to White Pine Pictures that there be a journalistic treatment of this film including hiring a journalist as director," said John Ferri, VP of current affairs and documentaries, in a statement. "TVO consistently supported the director's vision for the film. Once she left the project, we felt we had no choice but to do so as well. In addition to the fact that this project no longer has a director, several of White Pine Pictures' other obligations were not met and therefore regrettably we are terminating the Agreement."
In its notification to White Pine Pictures, TVO said that it noted that:
– A completed documentary with a director attached to the project was not delivered. Director Roxana Spicer formally resigned in writing from the White Pine Pictures' project. The lack of a director is a fundamental deficiency for a documentary production;
– A documentary consistent with TVO's journalistic standards for editorial integrity, independence and quality, as required by the Agreement, was not delivered;
– A documentary fully cleared as required by the Agreement was not delivered. As White Pine Pictures informed TVO, signed access agreements and accompanying releases for several figures who participated were not obtained;
– A documentary with Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance as required by the Agreement was not delivered. White Pine Pictures informed TVO that it would not be seeking E&O insurance without the signed access agreements and accompanying releases, and;
– A finished documentary which met the terms of the Agreement in a timely manner to allow for TVOs scheduled air date as agreed was not delivered.
In a backgrounder accompanying the statement, TVO says that it receives more than 500 pitches for documentaries per year from independent production companies and commissions 8 to 10 Canadian documentaries each year.
White Pine Pictures continues to be the owner of the content of the project.
