Telefilm Canada celebrates Talent First at 2013 annual public assembly

$96.9 million invested via funding programs in fiscal 2012-2013

MONTREAL, Dec. 11, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Telefilm Canada today released the highlights of its 2012-2013 annual report at its fifth Annual Public Assembly, held this year at the PHI Centre in Montreal. Under the theme Talent First, Chair of the Board, Michel Roy, and Executive Director, Carolle Brabant, presented the results that showed a growing interest in Canadian film, especially on the international scene. Phoebe Greenberg, the force behind the Centre's creation, made welcoming remarks.

"Our corporate plan Fostering Cultural Success is still as relevant as ever and continues to produce compelling results. Through collaboration with our clients, we have made major changes to our Development and Promotion programs and have also created new programs," said Michel Roy.

"In the years to come we are faced with a collective challenge, that of putting Canadian talent on as many screens as possible and reaching even more audiences, both here and abroad," added Carolle Brabant.

Highlights

Investing in talent

• $96.9 million provided through various funding programs in fiscal 2012-2013.
• Telefilm funding enabled backing for the:
• Production of 72 feature films
• Marketing of 94 films
• Support for 44 Canadian film festivals and 83 industry events
• Promotional support for Canadian films at 39 international festivals
• The Canada Media Fund renewed its services agreement with Telefilm as CMF Program Administrator for a seventh consecutive year.
• Successful launch of Telefilm's redesigned Development and Promotion programs and the introduction of the Micro-Budget Production Program.
• Renewal of the Theatrical Documentary Program in partnership with the Rogers Group of Funds.

Focusing on operational excellence

• Financing recovered from projects increased by nearly $1 million, 8% over last year.
• Management expense ratio decreased from 6.3% to 5.8%, thanks in part to lower costs for professional services and travel and hospitality.
• Cost efficiencies allowed for $2.5 million to be transferred from the administrative budget to program funding.

Partnering for promotion

• The Talent Fund welcomed seven distinguished Canadian advisory committee members to raise the visibility for the fund among potential investors.
• Movie Nights in Canada events, hosted by the Honourable James Moore, were recognized by Maclean's magazine as one of the "Five events that matter most to Ottawa's power brokers".
• Inaugural Birks Canadian Diamond award presented during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival to Canadian actors Sarah Gadon and Emily Hampshire in honour of their talent and international success.
• First-ever Symposium on the Promotion of Canadian Films and Television Programs in Canada and Internationally hosted by Telefilm, the CMF and the CRTC.
• Carolle Brabant presented the Success Index to the first-ever Best Practice Exchange workshop, which brought together close to 20 countries. The Index has been praised by foreign film funding agencies for its innovative and comprehensive approach to measuring success. The 2012 Success Index score (97) was comparable to the 2010 base year score (100) but down from last year (129).

Industry success stories

• War Witch nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, marking Canada's third consecutive year in this category at the Academy Awards.
• Canadian films won five awards at the 63^rd Berlin International Film Festival: Vic+Flo Saw a Bear, Inch'Allah and Barefoot.
• Canadian film Starbuck released on more than 2,000 screens in the Chinese market and being remade by studios in Hollywood and France.
• Canada selected as Country of Honour at MIPCOM 2012, the world's leading market for entertainment content across all platforms.
• Xavier Dolan honoured as Filmmaker in Focus at the 10^th edition of Canadian Front at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
• English-language feature Goon grossed $4.1 million at the domestic box office in 2012 and won Telefilm's Golden Box Office Award; Telefilm's Guichet d'or awarded to Omertà, the highest grossing domestic French-language film in 2012, with $2.8 million in box office sales.

Annual report microsite and video highlights now online
Telefilm's annual report microsite is now online. Discover highlights of the fiscal year, information about Telefilm's initiatives, industry success stories and more. Video highlights of Telefilm's Annual Public Assembly will also soon be online at http://telefilm.ca/en/news/speeches. A series of questions and answers will also be published.

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

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