CINEMA CAN A D A

Cinema project which had been the subject.oi and AndreJ uneau , assistant deputy rrunister for think that the common good and the responsibi­ Tenders called much speculation over the past several years. the Cultural Mi lieu of the Quebec department of li ty to the long-term goals of the festival was lost Gilles Lalonde, director of fede ral-pro\~ncia l Cultural Affairs, will make its recommendations in the emotions of the moment," he continued. for production relations, communications Canada, says the to the responsible ministers in July. "If we get over this year as gracefull y as we project is on a much smaller scale than the Cite hope to ... I think that the picture will be clearer. centre du Cinema . This has been an unfortuna te gli tch but I think "We are talking about one maybe two major everybody wants the same thing : a quali ty film MONTREAL - Proposals for a Film Production sound stages," says Lalonde, ., at any ra te we are Vancouver fest fes tival which II~ have meaning fo r Vancouver Centre in Montreal for the production of feature talking about production facilities only." audiences and for the international film industry films and high-budget television series are being Lalonde says the recently announced film tightens belt as a whole." sought by the governments of Canada and distribution policy and a promise of a $200 Quebec. million infusion in the industry has created a VANCOUVER - The Vancouver International Under the Canada-Quebec Subsidiary renewed interest in the building of a production Film Festival will go ahead in late September but Agreement on Cultural Facilities, the private centre in Montreal. at two-thirds of the originally planned size. Famous launches sector has been invited to submit proposals by "Montreal is already heavy with video Interim director Alan Franey, who was June 30. The proposals will be evaluated on the production facilities but there is room for more appointed after Hannah Fisher resigned construction basis of their ability to meet the needs of the film production facilities ," says Lalonde. following the Festival's annual general meeting, Canadian and Quebec film industries and to "There has been declared interest in this says the last month has been a time of "finding drive attract foreign productions. project in the past We will have toa wait and see our feet ". This project is one of several projects what happens. " Leonard Schein's "Vancouver Community promised under the (QuebedCanada) The proposal invitation stipulates that the Slate" won approval when the AGM voted for - Calling it "the largest single agreement which was ratified in 1985 the project must be at least 80 per cent Canadian the board of directors on April 20 ; since then, construction commitment in the history of film invitation for proposals has been circulated owned. Fisher has left along with business manager in this city," chairman Walter widely throughout the private sector. The management committee of the agreement, Sheila Beveridge and two other staffers. Franey Senior has announced eight new theatre Afederal government spokesman told Cinema co-chaired by Ken Hepburn, senior assistant says the priority is to hire a director of complexes to be developed in the Toronto area Canada that it is not a resurfacing of the Cite du deputy minister of Communications Canada communications and a special events co-ordina­ over the next three years, including a downtown tor. As mall clerical staff will be looking after location that reclaims the name Imperial Six. business management. The old Imperial Six was lost when rival "We've got to tighten our belt," Franey told exhibitor CineplexOd eon bought first half, then Cinema Canada . "We've pared the festival down all, of the building in which it was housed, to about 100 films from the projected 150. The renaming it the Pantages. dates won't change and we'll allow two The newImperial will be built underneath the IMAGES8tl screenings per film. The word we've been historic Ryrie building at Yonge and Shuter hearing from audiences is that to market a streets. Construction on the six-theatre, A Showcase of Independent Canadian festival that has too much for people to get a 2300-seat complex is set to begin next spring, Video &Film handle on is counter-productive. Especially and will take one year to complete. these days when Cineplex and Northstar are The Ryrie is located in the heart of the city's spreading out into the area of specialized films , "theatre block," an area designated by the city to art films . " be developed as an entertainment district. The Babcock & Basareba & Beuys & Bjornson & Boschman & Brunton & Busby & Calvert & Cklrke & Condy-Berggold & Craig He says the VIFF will continue with Fisher's block includes , the soon-to-be-reo· & Diamond & Elder & Finlayson & Fleming & Frenkel & plan to focus on the Pacific Rim countries. pened Elgin-Wintergarden theatre, and the old Galloway & Gehrman & GeUer & Giguere & GiU & Gwver & "Hannah had a great many things up in the air Imperial Six, now being redeveloped into Greyson & Hartley & Hawkes & Haynes & Hebert & Hegel & and her personal talents will be greatly missed. Cineplex's live theatre venue, the Pantages. Herle & Hoeberg & Hoffman & Hume & Kerr & Kerr & Klbbins & Kiyooka & Leeming & Loumede & Marcotte & McTalr & I don'tthink anyone can pretend to come in and Famous Players' Uptown theatre is also slated Moses & Mr. Tim CoUective & OueUet & Paine & Paradis & capitalize on what she had done . We 'll try and for redevelopment folloll~g completion of the Peacock & Peers & Poitras & Prieto & Sherman & Snow & Sujlr get our priorities straight and carry on with those new Imperial Six. Both plans are seen as an & Thompson & Tremblay & Van der Zaag & Van Tbemscbe & things that are most important for the long-term effort to reestablish the downtown presence of Walton & Waquant & Wong. of the festival. " Famous Players, which has been outmaneuve­ Franey says he feels somewhat caught in the red twice by Cineplex recently. In August 1987, June 28 . July 1, 1988 middle of the philosophic disagreements that Cineplex bought the University theatre on The Factory Theatre saw Schein take over the Board and Fisher leave . high-priced Bloor Street, which had been closed "I've worked with Hannah for the past by Famous, and announced plans to turn it into 125 Bathurst Street, year-and-a-half and I'm very much sympathetic a theatre, hotel and shopping complex that Toronto, Ontario with both what she was trying to do and with the would serve as the home of Toronto's Festival of aims of the festival before Hannah arrived. I Festivals. Then, this spring, after a bitter legal box office # (416) 864·9971 think that, unfortunately, because of the high struggle, Cineplex finally gained control of the emotions of the thing, there was no reconcilia­ Imperial Six complex, also located on prime tion possible. I don 't think Leonard 's mandate downtown land. SpollSGred by the Northern Visions Collecllve, Gillian Morton, Director, 67A was to take the festival back to what it was ... 1 Allan Gregg, chairman of the Festival of Portland Street, SuHe #3, Toronto, Onlario, M5V 2M9 don't think anyone knew the emotions would Festivals, was on hand at the Famous Players start a domino effect. The NY Collective would like 10 acknowledge the assistance of the following in announcement to show his neutrality in presenting I.... ges '88: Explorations (Canada Councill, The Ontario Arts CounCil, "I agree 100 per cent that there has been choosing theatre space. "Our demand for The Toronto Arts Council, V Tape, DEC Films, L.I.F.T., U.M.A.S., Pages damage conferred because of seemingly petty cinemas is so great that no one cinema complex Bookstore, Canadln Filmmakers Distribution Centre. issues. The Board I know ... there was much will ever be able to accommodate it all, " he said. alarm about this kind of jumping the ship. I COli lill l!cd IIcxt page

CINEMA CANADA PAGI34 IUNI19.. CINEMA CAN •A D A We put it all together coast · to · coast Continued frompr evioliS page Senior assured the audience that the Famous Players' association wi th the fes tival "w ill continue in these new theatres." "The festival needs the cooperation of both circuits. " Senior also denied that the announcements were a new salvo in a long territorial battle between the two exhibitors. "We don 't expand reactively, " he said . "We expand because we think there's a need. " In addition to the Imperial Six and Uptown projects, Famous Players will also build a new complex at Yonge and St. Clair in midtown Toronto, and five more in surrounding areas, including : a six-screen complex in Scarborough scheduled to open in December; the Gateway cinemas, a six-screen complexin Bramalea, located west of Toronto; the Glen Abbey, a six-screen theatre in Oakville.

Drabinsky defends WILLIAM F. WHITE expansion to LIMITED shareholders A Canadian Compa ny Established sinc e 1963

TORONTO - At an annual meeting marked more by orchestrated responses than outright conflict, Cineplex Odeon chairman defended his expansionist policies to an audience of nervous shareholders. Despite stock prices that reached a 52-week Camera, Lighting, Grip ... A Complete Film Service low the day before the shareholders meeting, Drabinsky presented an aggressively upbeat 36 Porklawn Rood. 715 lue St. Maurice. 43 West 6th Avenue 8515 North Gomez Avenue profile of his corporation, outlining its Toronto. Ontario M8Y 3H8 Montreol. Quebec H3C 1 L4 Vancouve r. B C. V5Y 1K 2 Tampa . Fl orida 33614 ( 416) 252-7171 ( 514) 866-332~ (604 ) 873·3921 . (813) 933· 7359 dominance of "the important markets" in film TOR- 1-800-268-2200 Montreal Fox VCR TLX 04 ·55485 exhibition, and its diversification into other TOR TLX 06-967827 # 1-514-866·8856 Vancouver Fox Toronto Fux # 1·604·874·2599 areas. Cineplex's goal, he said, is to create "a # 252-6095 well-balanced and highly profitabre leisure and entertainment operation by the end of the decade . " There were 747 shareholders, holding over 39 million shares, represented at the meeting in person and by proxy. Although some of the "100 screens in the U. K. by the end of 1990," repeatedl y on the corporation's performance, revenues of$520,1 53,000 (U. S. ) for 1987 and net questions challenged Drabinsky's version of the and Drabinsky hinted at moving into the citing the cost of lavish newtheatre s, and stock income of $34, 558,000 (U. S.), but the company's performance, the actual business of Japanese market as well. He tried to downplay prices that have con tinued to slide since the corporation includes real estate revenue in its the meeting was handled without opposition. any risk in the corporation's activities, and October 1987 market crash. Before the crash, yearly profit rather than counting it as Directors were nominated and voted onto the insisted that Cineplex will not move into film • stocks reached a high of $26, and are now extraordinary gains, boosting the on-paper Cineplex board with orchestrated precision. At production. trading in the $10 range. profit beyond what a more conservative one point Drabinsky said, "We should have the "I wish to state categorically that we are not in "If shareholders decide to sell, nobody can accounting would show. scrutineer's report (on a vote) in about 30 the business of producing motion pictures," he stop them," Drabinsky responded . "I know For the most part, though, investors left the seconds. " Exactly 25 seconds later, it arrived. said. Cineplex will, however, provide where we're going. Our directors know where meeting impressed with Drabinsky's confident Drabinsky took the crowd through the distribution guarantees, which a producer can we're going. We have tremendous confidence. " plans for further developmen t. On leaving, each company's recent performance, characterizing then use to obtain more money from other Orabinsky's aggressive defence of Cineplex shareholder was presented with a ceramic 1987 as a "year of consolidation" after the rapid sources. policy is matched by similarly aggressive miniature of a Cineplex popcorn bag, with the expansion of 1986. Still, Cineplex plans to open One shareholder pressed Drabinsky accounting practices. Cineplex reported words "Made in USA" stamped on the bottom.

(INIMA CANADA PAGI SS IUNI""