Telefilm Canada 2012 Annual Public Assembly

In 2011-2012, Canadian films enjoyed success after success, and Telefilm Canada launched five innovative initiatives for the audiovisual industry

TORONTO, Nov. 15, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Telefilm Canada today held its fourth Annual Public Assembly and released the highlights of its 2011-2012 annual report. With the theme "Daring to Change: Delivering," Chair of the Board, Michel Roy, and Executive Director, Carolle Brabant, presented the initiatives and results of a fiscal year that has been successful for Telefilm and the Canadian audiovisual industry. The event took place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto and was attended by over 100 clients and partners. Telefilm Annual Public Assemblies in previous years have taken place in Montreal, Halifax and St. Boniface.

"As indicated in our corporate plan, Fostering Cultural Success, Telefilm Canada wants Canadian content present on as many platforms as possible and to reach as many audiences as possible," said Michel Roy, whose term of office as Telefilm's Chair has just been renewed for another five years. "Fiscal 2011-2012 saw the creation of several initiatives that encourage, recognize and reward success, not only for established production companies and filmmakers, but for the next generation as well. I would like to congratulate our industry for its successes like Starbuck and Barney's Version, winners of Telefilm's Guichet d'or and Golden Box Office Award for 2011, both of which are enjoying enviable international runs as well."

"In 2011-2012, Telefilm Canada undertook a redesign of its entire range of programs, while innovating in terms of funding, promotion and how we measure success," said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm. "To make this possible, we're encouraging public and private partnerships. Canadian content deserves larger audiences, more audiences, and new audiences."

Highlights of 2011-2012

• Canadian cinema fully asserted its brand image this year. After Denis Villeneuve's Incendies in 2010, Canada was again in the running for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011, this time with two films, Monsieur Lazhar by Philippe Falardeau and In Darkness by Agnieszka Holland. The feature-length films we have funded have picked up 316 separate selections in film festivals and markets, and have won 133 awards and honourable mentions.
• Besides Ken Scott's Starbuck and Richard J. Lewis' Barney's Version, both of which earned over $3 million at the box office, the most successful films in Canada in 2011 were Breakaway by Robert Lieberman and A Dangerous Method by David Cronenberg, which earned $1.9 million and $1.3 million in box office sales, respectively.
• We supported the funding of 75 feature-length films in production and post-production, as well as 62 films at the marketing stage. We also funded 49 festivals and events in every region of the country, and participated in 14 international events.
• Coproduction has continued to be a tool of choice for development, including 47 coproductions certified with 16 countries, with budgets totalling $180 million.
• In this year of innovation, Telefilm's administrative costs still held steady at 6%. A further $1.2 million in savings on administration was reinvested in the Canada Feature Film Fund.
• Recoveries by Telefilm on its investments were $2 million higher this year - evidence of the Canadian cinema's increasing success. This money has also been reinvested in production.

Five major initiatives in 2011-2012

• Telefilm undertook a redesign of its programs in order to achieve a closer link between its programs and corporate objectives, to simplify its procedures and to facilitate business relationships with the industry as a whole. The new Development Program was in place by April 2012. Telefilm has since launched its new Promotion Program and the Production Program for Feature-Length French-Language Productions.
• To help the film industry diversify its sources of funding, Telefilm created the Talent Fund, an initiative funded by private donations in support of the production and promotion of Canadian content. This fund has received enthusiastic support from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized by the CRTC as a Certified Independent Production Fund. Five heads of major Canadian businesses and organisations have agreed to serve as honourary members of the committee governing the new fund.
• Telefilm also created the Micro-Budget Production Program, which targets emerging filmmakers. The Program allows them to produce and distribute their first feature-length film, with emphasis on digital platforms and their potential for wide distribution and audience engagement.
• The new Success Index was introduced. This index measures the year-over-year variations in Telefilm's investment portfolio in commercial, cultural and industrial terms. The initial results from the Index, published in July 2012, indicated that the value of Telefilm's portfolio grew more than 24% from 2010 to 2011. This increase is linked to the commercial sub-index - domestic and international sales more than doubled.
• New targeted promotional activities have been launched to better promote Canadian talent. Meetings with businesspeople, the media and international partners have helped deliver more visibility for Canadian content and the talented people who create, produce and distribute it - including at the Oscars, festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, other international events such as Cannes, Berlin or Shanghai, or at a recent trade mission to India.

Microsite for Telefilm Canada's 2011-2012 Annual Report is online
For the second year in a row, Telefilm is publishing its annual report online. Please feel free to have a look at the Annual Report's microsite (www.daringtochange.ca), where you can browse at your own pace and discover highlights of the fiscal year, information about Telefilm initiatives, industry success stories and more, all on a visually stunning platform.

Annual Public Assembly video online soon
Key moments of Telefilm's Annual Public Assembly will soon be online. We'll also publish a series of questions and answers, including questions from the live audience and the Internet, that Michel Roy and Carolle Brabant may not have had time to answer during the meeting itself.

About Telefilm Canada
Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada's audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit www.telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

SOURCE: TELEFILM CANADA

Media inquiries:
Douglas Chow, Manager, External Communications
Telefilm Canada
514-283-0838, ext. 2225, or 1-800-567-0890
[email protected]