DOC Institute and National Film Board of Canada Research Findings

DOC Institute and National Film Board of Canada Research Findings Kerry Swanson, March 25, 2018 ABSTRACT Research conducted with the objective of providing background information and context for the development of training initiatives for Indigenous and racialized producers. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction and Overview……………………………………………………………. 3 1.1 Research Components and Methodology…………………………………...... 3 2. Literature Review………………………………………………………………..……….4 2.1 Theme #1…………………………….…………………………………………………….. 4 2.2 Theme #2…………………………………………….…………………………………..… 6 2.3 Theme #3………………………………………………………………………………..…. 8 3. Works Cited and Reviewed……………………………………………………...………..10 4. Existing Producer Training Programs……………………………………………… 14 4.1 Canada..……………….……………………………………………………………….…… 14 4.2 Notable Outside Canada…………………………………………………………….. 19 5. Gaps in Training….…………………………………………………………………...…..20 5.1 Future Exchanges..……………….……………………………………………………. 15 5.2 Broader Recommendations……………………………………………………….. 15 2 Research Findings: Indigenous and Racialized Producer Training Initiative Kerry Swanson March 18, 2018 1. Introduction and Overview The Documentary Institute (DOC Ontario) and the National Film Board (NFB) have engaged in a research and consultation process to support a new initiative aimed at providing professional development and training for Indigenous and racialized documentary creative producers. The scope of the research was to test the assumption that there is an urgent need to address the underrepresentation of Indigenous and racialized producers in the documentary film industry, and to support informed approaches to creating initiatives that have an impact on increasing opportunities for success, with a specific focus on creative producers. 1.1 Research Components and Methodology: a) Online Literature Review: an overview of existing articles, studies and reports that articulate the context and challenges for Indigenous and racialized screen-based content creators in Canada. The resources were analyzed and collated into key themes as interpreted by the consultant. b) Environmental Scan: a review existing training and professional development opportunities that exist for documentary filmmakers in Canada, and those that may be accessed by Canadian creators. This included online research as well as conversations with past and present participants in various programs. The discussions were fact finding and not formal interviews, therefore the individuals are not named. c) Survey: Indigenous and racialized filmmakers and media professionals who serve these groups responded to predetermined questions approved by DOC and NFB to identify key challenges and recommendations, which were aggregated by the consultant in a Summary of Findings. For the purposes of this report, “Indigenous” is defined as status and non-status First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada. “Racialized” is defined as persons who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour. The objective of the research was to capture a broad understanding of the issues around inclusion in the Canadian screen-based context. Therefore, the acknowledged differences and nuances that exist between the distinct groups, cultures and experiences within Indigenous and racialized groups are not a focus of this research. 3 2. Literature Review A survey of existing articles and studies on diversity and representation in the Canadian film industry was conducted, revealing three key themes. 2.1. Theme #1: The gatekeepers and decision-makers in the Canadian film industry do not adequately represent the makeup of our society and are hindering the development of a rich and diverse screen culture. A review of existing literature about cultural and gender diversity in the Canadian film industry finds that a predominantly white power-base of decision makers is one of the greatest barriers for Indigenous and racialized filmmakers in making their work and finding success within the sector. This view was further supported in the summary of findings from the DOC/NFB Indigenous and racialized filmmaker survey, conducted in February 2018. In the Playback article “The Diversity Puzzle,” Katie Bailey specifies how the Canadian system perpetuates a homogenized status quo: “The closed-ecosystem nature of TV and film has traditionally been the main barrier to diversity of any sort. With millions of dollars on the line, limited opportunities for broadcast licences and tight schedules, people’s natural instinct is to go with who they know will deliver. And in a small industry like Canada, this naturally creates a small pool of talent at the top, as credits beget credits and the industry closes in on itself.” (Playback, 2016) The result is that what Canadians see on screen is not representative of our society as it exists now and how it is evolving. Statistics Canada projects that by 2031, the foreign-born population will reach between 25% and 28% with 55% of foreign-born persons in Canada coming from Asia and only 20% from Europe (2016 Census Data). The Government of Ontario predicts that by 2036 racialized people will account for 48% of the province’s population. Canada’s Indigenous population (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) is its fastest growing demographic. Since 2006, the FNMI population has grown by 42.5%— more than four times the growth rate of the non-Aboriginal population over the same period. According to population projections, the number of FNMI people will continue to grow quickly. In the next two decades, the FNMI population is likely to exceed 2.5 million persons, nearly double the current population of 1.7 million. (2016 Census Data) The literature finds that this shifting demographic reality is not even close to being reflected within Canada’s media industries. Ryerson’s DiverseCity Institute’s 2010 study found that media decision makers in the GTA consisted of only 4.8% visible minority people, defined as including both Indigenous and 4 racialized people. 70% of GTA media companies have no Indigenous or racialized leadership, as do five out of seven boards. This is despite the GTA being one of the world’s most diverse regions (p. 8). A 2012 roundtable in response to the report found that “the objective of cultural diversity on and off screen in the broadcasting industry is not being vigorously pursued. Despite many ‘diversity initiatives’ by broadcasters and governmental agencies, progress has been unacceptably slow.” The report on the roundtable concludes that the Canadian media industries are dominated by white men in virtually all positions, and that a “network of exclusion” persists despite decades of advocacy on the issue (p. 10). A 2017 roundtable put together by Playback bringing together some of Canada’s leading filmmakers found that little had changed in five years. The language used and issues raised by racialized filmmakers were exactly the same and in fact filmmakers stated that the momentum they felt in the early 90s, when groups like the Black Film and Video Network were created, never translated into sustained industry-wide change (Pinto, 2017). Anti-black racism is a specific form of exclusion that has been identified as a priority for the Government of Ontario, who has developed a specific Anti-Black Racism Strategy to tackle the issue of systemic discrimination against Black people in the province. The report “Doing the Right Thing Together for Black Youth” engaged 1500 community members and found that “anti-Black racism runs through all of Ontario’s institutions and systems” (p. 19). One of the two top ten issues for Black youth in Toronto identified in the report are that Black excellence is not recognized, and there are few Black role models in leadership positions (p. 24). The significant momentum generated by the current #MeToo movement is an opportunity to harness direct action initiatives that foster increased gender equality, and also racial and cultural diversity. Initiatives and approaches developed to support women in film can be applied to racialized and Indigenous representation. For example, the well-known “Bechdel test” started a conversation about how women are portrayed in film, and New York Times writer Manhola Dargis coined the “DuVernay test” to do the same for race and representation in film (Child, 2016). However, there have been numerous articles written about how the #MeToo movement risks becoming one “centred mostly on the experiences of white, affluent and educated women.” (The Atlantic, 2017) There have been several studies on gender inequality in the filmmaking industry, many of which focus on the imbalance of gender and diversity both in front of and behind the camera. A recent and comprehensive study on gender by CMPA, entitled “Women in Leadership,” finds that women who also identify as being part of a minority group faced greater obstacles, specifically access to advancement 5 opportunities, pay inequity and not being recognized for their achievements (p. 24) The CMPA study also found that it was the intervention or support of a single mentor or boss that led to success in their careers and that it is leadership change from the top down that will make the most significant impact on changing the sector (p. 24). 2.2 Theme #2: By not supporting Indigenous and racialized content creators, the Canadian film sector is failing to capitalize on strategic and global opportunities that will benefit and sustain the sector. In the study, “Who is Sitting in the Director’s Chair” commissioned by the Canadian Unions for Equality on Screen, author Amanda Coles

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