It?s a fact. The French Canadian film industry booms, while the English Canadian film industry limps and struggles. Speak to any English Canadian filmmaker and you?ll encounter much hand-wringing, hair-pulling, and just flat out sorrow. What?s really going on here? Why do French Canadian films thrive when English Canadian films do not? Does French Canada just care more than English Canada? Unsurprisingly, the answer is yes? and no.?It?s not that French Canada cares more ? it?s that French Canadian films make more money.
A brief history of Canadian filmmaking
Canada prominently figured in some very early filmmaking. The Lumiere brothers, Thomas Edison, and the Biograph Company all shot in Niagara Falls, Canada in 1897. To put that in perspective, the first public exhibition of projected film occurred in 1895 in Paris (Lumieres again). So Canada, and it?s glorious natural wonder Niagara Falls ? perfect for the ?actuality films? so popular at the time ? got in the film biz at the beginning.
In true Canadian fashion, filmmaking pretty quickly got caught up in things that weren?t exactly about art or entertainment and definitely not about commercial viability. James Freer, a farmer from Manitoba, is generally acknowledged to be the first Canadian filmmaker. His docs about Canadian farming were toured all across England beginning in 1897 for the explicit purpose of provoking immigration to Manitoba. And thus began the rich tradition of the English Canadian government?s participation in the making of film for specific social imperatives not about filmmaking itself.
The Ontario Motion Picture Bureau, the NFB, and tax credits
Ontario established the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau in 1917. That gave rise to the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau in 1918. These were institutions meant to, you guessed it, promote the production of Canadian content ? made by Canadians, for Canadians, to educate and inspire Canadians. If this sounds a lot like, oh say, the NFB or Telefilm or any other number of well-meaning organizations meant to encourage, promote, and fund Canadian films, well that?s because it was exactly that. So, from the very beginning, filmmaking in Canada existed as a sort of cultural programme, separated and supported outside the bounds of making entertaining movies that put butts in the seats and dollars in the coffers.
Fast forward to the 1970s, when Canadian tax policies bestowed significant tax credits to filmmakers. As gaming Revenue Canada is the second most popular national sport of Canada, lots of films were made solely and strictly for tax purposes, quality be damned. To illustrate the point, US film producers could only earn a fee after a film earns its production costs, but Canadian film producers could earn a fee out of the production costs alone. See..quality schmality. Also see The Producers to view American filmmakers gaming these draconian strictures to hilarious, and profit-generating, effect.
Then there are the standard and much pored over problems ? Canada is geographically huge but has relatively few people in it, Canada?hasn?t?yet decided on standard and all encompassing ?Canadian? narrative, and the most successful Canadian films don?t seem distinctly Canadian (hello, Porky?s!). It?s not wonder that many, nay most, of English Canadian films don?t actually make back production costs at the box office. The film biz the world over is about one thing and one thing only ? money, money, money. Who should care about a film industry that?doesn?t?make any cash?
Meanwhile in Qu?bec?
Take all of that stuff above and toss in a powerful Catholic clergy intent on squashing the fun, the cool, and ? heaven forbid ? the erotic, and you have filmmaking in?Qu?bec?until the 1960s. Then, two things happened to usher in a new era in Qu?b?cois?filmmaking. In 1967, Qu?bec?s old religion based censorship bureau was replaced with a secular ratings system administered by the provincial government. Then, also in 1967, the Canadian Film Development Corporation (later to become Telefilm Canada) was born. Suddenly government subsidy, via the CFDC, was bring more Qu?b?cois?films to the the screens.
Now, on the surface of it, this seems to track right along with English Canadian filmmaking. On the surface of it, it does. But identifying and establishing a distinct cultural identity is, well, pretty much the cultural identity of Qu?bec. While the ?other? Canada was busy navel gazing over what it really means to be Canadian, Qu?bec?was busy fighting, marching through the streets, setting stuff on fire and holding referendums on what it meant to Qu?b?cois. And Qu?b?cois?filmmakers were right there with them, making movies about it. And then the Qu?b?cois?took time out from fighting to go see those movies. And lo, you have a film industry that the population cares about and that, most importantly, makes money!
Okay, that?s a bit of an over simplification on the political history of Qu?bec, but still? the point is, as a population, Qu?bec?agrees on some stuff in a way that the whole rest of diverse, sprawling, sparsely populated Canada does not. That gave Qu?b?cois?filmmakers a hook to hang their hats on and gave the French Canadian film industry time to grow and mature into a commercially viable market. Qu?b?cois?filmmakers forged their talents, and their audiences, in a political crucible. After the 1980 ?no? vote on the referendum on?sovereignty?many filmmakers decided that cause was lost. And then they turned their attention to making less political, but wildly successful films. Numbers don?t lie. Since the late 1990s, Qu?bec?films have been making money. They often outrank blockbusting American fare at Qu?bec?box offices and consistently hold top grossing spots Canada wide. It doesn?t hurt that French Canada has a ready-made secondary market for these French-language films, also known as France.
So does French Canada care more about film?
Well, yes. But it?s a chicken-and-egg question. Film is a business and film industries make money. If a market?doesn?t?make money, it?doesn?t?get funded. No funding mean blah movies and no one will care. People buying tickets means more funding means better movies. Qu?bec, with some distinct and pressing cultural concerns, managed to make its film industry relevant in a way that English Canada still has not. ?So French Canada cares more about their films, or rather French Canadian film producers care more about these films because they?ll see a return on investment. Not so in English Canada, at least not yet.
As a non-Canadian,?I?ve?spoken to many English Canadian filmmakers who are somewhat morose about the situation. I do sympathize. There?s a population problem in Canada as it goes to supporting a film industry. There?s a distribution problem, too. ?Hollywood North? is cute, but a bit of a backhanded compliment. But as a non-Canadian, I?m also obligated to examine the situation in contrast to the ?American independent filmmaker,? a beast about as common as a unicorn. The truth is, Canadian filmmakers have a lot of support. The other truth is, that support is financially tricky and pretty flimsy. In the end, a film industry disconnected from making money is no film industry at all.
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