Death of the Film Awards

Denys Arcand directing "Rejeanne Padovani" Michael Parks, Don Shebib and Bonnie Bill Reid, director of NFB documentary Bedelia feature "ComingHome" St. Denis theatre complex . Awards festival week was organized in death When? . right in the middle of the Montreal this year with the full support Canadian film premiere season. With of the Canadian film industry. It is also the move to Montreal, will this year's obvious that the structure and workings of the Film Awards be a Quebecois event? of the Canadian Film Awards have been More so than ever but by no means public knowledge for the past 25 years, exclusively! Marcia Couelle talks of In 1972, a meeting was called by the film awards national television coverage, of reporters Quebec Producers Association. This from across Canada, of film critics from meeting was attended by many Quebec other countries. A'. Ibrdnvi-Kiss ois directors who manifested their full In 1973, more than ever, the Canadian support of this bi-cultural event which is Film Awards is affirming its position the Canadian Film Awards. It was with CANADIAN FILM AWARDS 1973: vis-a-vis the Canadian film industry. Its this in mind that the Directors of the PARTICIPATION GREATER THAN aim is to project this industry's total Film Awards decided to hold the festi EVER image to the public. ... In previous val week in Montreal in 1973. The 1973 CANADIAN FILM years, all films, from features to travel We acknowledge that the structure of AWARDS ... is welcoming partici ogues, have been seen by the inter any festival may be contested, however pation by Canadian filmmakers which national jury. In 1973, the international we feel that the Association des Realisa- far surpassses that of any past year. In jury will judge only those films which teurs de Film du Quebec chose a parti 1972 the CFA, which was held in tend to cross Canada's borders and cularly unfortunate moment to lodge Toronto, received 144 entries. With the which constitute the more commercial their protest, the opening day of this move to Montreal in 1973 entries have aspect of Canadian film production. festival week. By their action, they have climbed to 212. Noteworthy increases Excerpts from official press releases of deprived all of the other members of the in 12 of the 13 categories /animation the Canadian Film Awards prepared by Canadian film industry of a valuable being the exception . ed./ point out Robert Paradis & Associates. promotion designed to stimulate pubhc the growing importance of this annual interest in Canadian films. event. Meanwhile, the Toronto office was equally busy organizing "A Day in Nonetheless, we decided to carry out Montreal" - which included 112 seats the festival week as originally intended. THE AIMS OF THE CANADIAN FILM on a charter plane, luncheons, cocktails, We thank all the members of the media AWARDS presentations, Windsor Hotel rooms who have come from across Canada and . the principal aims and objectives of (where the International Jurors were from other countries to attend the 25th the CFA are to stimulate creativity and staying) and a scenic bus tour. PLUS Annual Canadian Film Awards. quality in Canadian film production and tickets to the gala evening to be tele to promote widespread interest and vised by network CBC, and the note - distribution for Canadian films. No charge for overweight on return flight caused by Etrogs. It is precisely that last statement - PROMOTE! PUBLICIZE! AN ALL- The official tone of the Canadian Film where the blame for the loss of this OUT FIRST FOR THE CANADIAN Awards changed drastically from this 'valuable promotion' is placed on the FILM AWARDS glossy hype by the time Friday, October Quebec directors — that makes this Besides being the 25th anniversary, 12th arrived. This was the last official communique misleading. There were far 1973 is a year of many 'firsts' for the statement made: too many other factors involved than CFA. For the fi.st time, the Secretary the directors' boycott. STATEMENT BY THE ADMINIS of State Department made a substantial To backtrack: there have been num TRATORS OF THE CFA grant to the organization and thus, for erous recurring complaints about the The aims and objectives of the Directors the first time, the Awards Committee way the CFA operates. True, its struc of the 1973 Canadian Film Awards were was able to engage a full-time, pro ture has been public knowledge for 25 to efficiently promote the work of fessional Director. They chose Marcia years; but that structure has also been Canadian filmmakers. This same type of Couelle. Her experience in the impervious to criticism. For example, promotional effort is made each year in private sector . has convinced her that last year the Experimental Film Cate Cannes, Berlin and anywhere else that this industry can grow only with promo gory was dropped from the festival. can lead to wide-spread diffusion of tion and pubUcity, and the 1973 Strong protests were lodged at the time Canadian films, both on the cultural and Canadian Film Awards will clearly ref by many concerned journalists and film commercial levels. lect her behefs. Where will the Film makers. However, this year that cate Awards be held? In a very commercial It is obvious that the Canadian Film gory was again missing. Last year's pro- 14 Cinema Canada jy Jacques Godui, slat of "O.K. Laliberte" Luce Guilbeault in "O.K. Laliberte" Denys Arcand with Roger Lebel and Luce Guilbeault tests were ignored. quested to donate free ad space al Amazingly, it was this delicately- One of the major complaints this though they had actively promoted and worded and understated communique year was that the 15-member pre supported the industry all year and were which sparked off a series of unbe selection committee included only 2 ac far more needy of ad money. So it lievable over-reactions! The most seri tive filmmakers. This in itself is ab goes . There were problems. ous of these was the CBC's refusal to surd; but far more serious was the con Meanwhile, the Film Awards were broadcast the awards, supposedly out of sequence that many important, if not roaring ahead oblivious to the unease the fear that political activities may take outstanding, films were excluded from huge campaign was causing. The last few place. (If that is not censorship, we have competition and therefore not shown. weeks before the festival saw numerous to rewrite our dictionaries.) Toronto Most of the selected films were not only ads on television, radio and the papers called emergency meetings to discuss commercially-oriented (and these films in Montreal hyping the coming week as the possibility of moving the Awards will be seen anyway) but as a result, not a great bilingual, bicultural, glossy, slick "back home", and an enormous amount representative of our industry as a and glamorous event. Dust your rhine- of insurance was placed on the theatre whole. stones! Send the tux to the clean in Montreal. Many English directors Some of the features excluded in pre ers! This is going to be our own Oscars! were legitimately upset over losing the selection were Tendresse Ordinaire by Think gala! free publicity and potential box-office Jacques Leduc, Montreal Main by Frank That did it. The Quebec Film Direc that the prime-time telecast would have Vitale, Tu Brules . Tu Brules by Jean- tors' Association held an emergency meant. But who called off the tele Guy Noel, Peep by Jack Cunningham, meeting and issued the following state cast? Even the boycotting directors Bar Salon by Andre Forcier and The ment on Monday, October 8th: were amazed at the reactions. Consider what happened: Visitor by John H. Wright. However, The Canadian Film Awards is an indus The screenings continued and the films like August and July and J'ai Mon try event whose basic structure is direct week developed into one of the most Voyage were retained. Richesse des ly plagiarized from the United States' boring and hohum events ever. At least, Autres and Isis au 8 were both deleted Academy Awards. from the non-fiction feature category in Montreal. The only well-attended and Rocco Brothers as well as I Seem to Furthermore, it is attempting to blend showings were for films playing in be a Verb were also left out from the two separate and autonomous cultural downtown theatres. (Obviously it's theatrical short category. Many other entities. nicer to pay $1 than $3 to see the same films of equal importance should have The rejection of certain films, based on films . .) The free screenings in the ad been shown since they represent a major Awards "reasoning" presents a false im joining theatre were virtually ignored. part of our film industry and film cul pression of our productivity. We find it Most people failed to show up either ture. These are also the films which have ridiculous, in 1973, to collaborate with because they'd thought the week had less of a chance of playing local neigh an Awards presentation whose bi been called off, or because they borhood theatres - shouldn't the Cana cultural organization would imply couldn't care less. dian Film Awards be the place to show homogenity in Canadian cinema. A lovely series of vignettes took such films? Just as it is no longer possible to unite place on Thursday night when CBC- Another problem: entry fees for films CBC and Radio-Canada, or the Enghsh radio sent an interviewer and a sound were raised to $50 for a short and $ 100 and French production units of the man on Nagra to find out what theatre for a feature.

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