Video Age International October 2016

24 October 2016 V I D E O A G E T elefilm Canada supports production and distribution companies and creative talent both at home and abroad through its various funding and promotion programs. The company employs around 200 professionals serving the Canadian audiovisual industry from four locations in Canada: Montreal (headquarters), Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver. It’s annual budget is on average C$498 million. Created in 1967 as the Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) to support the Canadian feature film industry, it has evolved with many changes in policy and direction into the present organization. CFDC became Telefilm Canada in 1984. Telefilm’s driving goal today is to stimulate demand for Canadian productions, including theatrical feature films, television series, documentaries, and interactive media. Florence Moureaux, Interim Director of International Relations, Telefilm Canada, defined the mandate as being “to support the Canadian industry abroad, in order to help ensure that homegrown talent and content reach audiences around the world and that Canadian players can develop business partnerships with their international counterparts and decision makers.” Separate from its promotional activities, Telefilm administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund, an agency that funds the development and production of Canadian content audiovisual material. Independent producers come to Telefilm with projects for analysis and with hopes of financing. Among its important international functions, Telefilm has several marketing and festival participation programs available to independent non-broadcast-related Canadian companies that specialize in the production, distribution and sales of content in all genres, and it supports them in several ways: • Telefilm manages coproduction agreements on behalf of the Canadian government. At present, Canadian producers have access to their counterparts in more than 50 countries, enabling them to pool their creative, artistic, technical and financial resources intoprojects thatenjoythestatus of national productions in the countries involved. Between 2010 and 2014, 295 co-productions (111 films and 184 TV programs) were produced, with a total average annual budget of C$486 million and an average Canadian share of C$236 million. • Telefilm Canada supports the international marketing and promotional strategies of Canadian productions officially selected at recognized international festivals. It tracks the selection of Canadian productions at 80 festivals worldwide as well as the awards taken home by Canadians, awards that help demonstrate the quality of Canadian productions. At major festivals and markets, in partnership with provincial and federal agencies and the private sector, Telefilm Canada places a stand at the disposal of independent Canadian production and distribution companies, on a shared costs basis, and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Under the umbrella designation of the Canada Pavilion, it offers a turnkey facility, including furnishings, audiovisual equipment, signage, telephone, and joint promotional services, as well as reception, information and consulting services. The festivals and markets supported with stands notably represent major export venues and include The European Film Market in Berlin; MIP-TV and MIPCOM; The Cannes Film Market; Sunny Side of the Doc; the Toronto International Film Festival; and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market (MIFA). • MIFA is a new initiative, with the aim of providing increased visibility for entrepreneurs and to emphasize the importance of the animation industry for Canada. For this endeavor, the federal Telefilm Canada joined forces with the Canada Media Fund, as well as provincial organizations the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles, the Québec Film and Television Council, the Ontario Media Development Council, Manitoba Film and Music, OnScreen Manitoba, Creative British Columbia and that province’s Canadian Media Production Agency. Some companies, such as Blue Ant International, feel independent branding is important and prefer to put resources into their own stands. For others, the nature of the market, the amount of product they have available at the time, and the convenience of a one-stop operation make the Telefilm stand an attractive option. 9 Story Entertainment has its own stand at MIP and MIPCOM, but used Telefilm’s facilities at the recent Annecy Market. Jennifer Ansley, 9 Story’s VP of Marketing and Communications, said the company went the Telefilm route for Annecy, because, for this particular event, to participate on its own was too costly an undertaking, but they felt it was important to have a presence there. Stephen Kelley, director of Distribution at 9 Story, reported that he found the Telefilm stand the perfect place to hold meetings, particularly given that this year’s weather did not encourage the use of the outdoor space. The participation cost for producers at the Canada Pavilion varies. In some cases (Berlin, MIP-TV, MIPCOM) a shared costs operation is in place between Telefilm Canada and clients. In other cases, there is a business center for use by Canadians, free of charge, as long as they register under its umbrella. Companies take care of their own registration, but get an advantageous rate if they do so under the Canada umbrella. While arranging pre-sales is not part of the Telefilm mandate, some activities, such as the Perspective Canada screenings at Berlin and Cannes, support them. And there are other initiatives that help foster pre-sales, such as one- on-one meetings at different markets. At the 2016 Berlin’s EFM, it introduced a “matchmaking” service by integrating a “Producers Without Borders” directory into its marketing campaign to benefit registered Canadian producers with projects in development seeking financing through co-production in addition to pre-sales. And Telefilm publishes promotional documents at select international events that highlight the presence of Canadian productions, and bring attention to them. Telefilm also supports complementary commercial activities in the production and distribution of Canadian productions, such as their dubbing and subtitling. Telefilm’s strategic plan is entitled “Inspired by Talent. Viewed Everywhere,” and it has instituted a success index to measure its effectiveness, with the intent to shift more resources to the promotion of Canadian productions. By Isme Bennie Film, TV Content is The Mission. Worldwide Sales Is The Goal Spot l ight On: Telefi lm Canada Telefilm Canada’s Florence Moureaux Telefilm’s umbrella stand at MIPCOM