CINEMAti • TRADE NEWS • !Telefilm mobilizes industry response I "Ucense trafficking" at CRTC . OTTA W A - In an unusually un - has holdings in licensed broad- MONTREAL - In an effort to prepared speech on Jan. 17, known. m other sectors. passioned dissent, Canadian casters CFRB/CFRX and CKFM- produce a common front of but deCided not to do so be- Canada IS a major part of the Rad' t I . d T I FM T CKTB d CJQR 10- e eVlslon an e ecom- oronto· an _ support for the Film Industry cause, in the words of one par- ftlm market." Citing under- munications Commissioner FM ' S -C th' · . C)SB 0- Task Forc~ ~eport and the re- ticipant, "he felt everyone capitalization and lack of ac- Jean-Pierre Mongeau (along ta~a. t C)~;rl~~~, CJFM-F~ cent poitcles of TeIeftlm knew what he would say, and cess to our own market as the M ' al. C]OH lV a ' h C oJ; h f; d . h . '-~ ~ h iffi . f with colleague Monique ontre, - ttawa Cana d a, teo erence on t e pre erre usmg t e tlme huor- reasons ,or ted cui ties 0 Coupal) broke the ranks of d b d . D Future of the Canadian Film In- mally." the Canadian industry, Masse an re roa casters ill e- CRTC collegiality in dissenting seronto and Cornwall; Lauren­ dustry was held in Montebello In the printed speech, Masse goes on to cite the efforts from a majority decision which tien Telecable Inc. with under- from Jan. 16-19. Over 70 in- refers to Canada's film hiStory, made by government, men- Mongeau termed "license traf- takings in Hull and Buckhin- dustry representatives, provin- goes over recent government tioning recommendations for a ficking" that on Nov. 14 ap- gham, Quebec, and Rockland, cial ftlm bureaucrats and fed- initiatives to shore up the in- quota system (made by the eral civil servants were invited proved transfer of control of Ontario; an 8.3% share of the dustry and comments on cur- 1973 Ontario committee Standard Broadcasting Corp. to Canadian Television Network; to take part in the Conference, rent options before the gov- chaired by John Bassett) and Slaight Broadcasting Inc. as a and a cable lV system in organized by Telefilm. ernment. It emphasizes the implementation of the cap- result of a hearing last Sep- California, as well as other di- Producer Peter Simpson, strongly the industrial aspects ital cost allowance ... Although tember. d . d ' hid' . rect an ill lrect 0 illgS ill one of only five non-aligned of development in Canada. For no mention is made of pay-lV, Standard, a public company, (i.e., representing no particular instance, he quotes the 1950 Masse maintains that prior to cont. on p. 49 group) people invited to the Massey-Levesque Commission the creation of the Broadcast conference, described the report as saying "For general Fund, "The best achievements weekend as a "candid explora­ film entertainment, Canadians in Canadian films were ob­ tion" of issues in which a "shar- want commercial features, and tained when Canadian televis­ Fest of Fests top post to Schein ing of views" led to broad dis­ in this field there is practically ion networks commissioned TORONTO - Leonard Schein, Columbia's first independent cussions and informal chats, all nothing produced in Canada." the ftlms, therefore providing founder and past director of repertory theatre and today, of which contributed to a He makes no mention of the an initial market. This was the the Vancouver International says Schein, Canada's top gros­ deeper understanding of the other comments of the report. point of creating the Broadcast Film Festival, has been ap­ sing independent art ftlm complexities of the issues con­ He mentions that "in the 25 Programme Development pointed director of Toronto's house last year.) During his fronting the government. He years since the founding of the Fund. It was to let the only Festival of Festivals. The an- time in Vancouver, Schein was felt that a general consensus CFDC. ..Canada has begun to market we really did control - nouncement, effective Jan. 14, for four years also the prog­ was reached by the group, tell its own ftlm stories," and Canadian television - drive the fills the vacancy created by rammer/manager of the Van­ backing both the -Task Force then relates the absence of product." Masse reassured the Wayne Clarkson's reSignation couver East Cinema, a venue recommendations and the commercial success to the Conference that he would Nov. 1 to take up the pOSition for first-run art films. Teleftlm initiatives. "Whether larger context of the .interna- press for a "more solid founda­ of chairman and CEO of the During his five-year involve­ these recommendations are tional marketplace. tion" for the Fund in the com­ newly-created Ontario Film ment with the Vancouver festi­ do-able," he concluded, "is a "Film is considered a major ing decade. Development Corporation. val (last year on a full-time matter for government." part of what Americans call the Moving to the question of Schein, scheduled to take up basis), Schein has seen its at­ The minister of Communica- 'leisure and entertainment' distribution, Masse annOlInced his new post full-time by tendance grow from 17,000 at tions Marcel Masse was pre- sector of the economy. It is . that he does "not believe in March 1, is a Los Angeles na­ its inception in 1982 to 63,000 sent at the Conference and had highly profitable, with poten- radical solutions, particularly tive with a law degree from in 1985, with an attendance of been scheduled to deliver a tial for expansion that is un- cont. on p. 30 Stanford University and a mas­ 100,000 projected for this ters degree in psychology from year. While that contrasts with the University of Saskatche­ the 225,000 filmgoers drawn wan, where he started up a film to Toronto's lOth Festival of MC A gets biggest piece of Cineplex action society of art films. Following a Festivals last year, Schein be­ move to Vancouver in 1973, lieves the respective sizes of TORONTO - In a move worth gent upon MCA's maintenance transaction" and "the largest where for five years he taught the two cities make his Van­ $106 million in equity invest­ of its one-third interest in the foreign investment ever made psychology at the city's various couver experience compara­ ment for Cineplex Odeon Cor­ Cineplex Ode on equity. in a Canadian-controlled cul­ colleges, Schein opened the ble to what he's undertaking in poration, MCA Inc. agreed Jan. The move by MCA, parent of tural enterprise," resulted after Ridge Theatre in 1978 (British Toronto. cont. on p_ 36 15 to purchase 10,883,042 Universal Studios, is also in ac­ a previous agreement last fall shares (at $9.80 Cdn.) of a new cordance with Investment in which Cineplex Odeon and class of Cineplex Odeon sur­ Canada requirements limiting MCA agreed to spend $10 mil­ bordinate restricted voting any and all voting rights MCA lion U.S. to build a 17-screen, Bill 109: No news is good news? securities. That acquisition acquires from various sources 5,600-seat cinema complex QUEBEC CITY - The fate of cinema, the Societe generale, represents one third of Cinep­ to not equalling or exceeding (the world's largest) at the lat­ Bill 109's regulations concern­ the Institut Quebecois and the lex Odeon's equity and makes one-third of the votes of all ter's Universal StudiOS in ing ftlm distribution in Quebec Regie du cinema, as well as MCA the largest single Cineplex-Odeon shares issued. California. As well as offering is to be the subject of a public familiarizing herself with the shareholder in the Toronto­ The shares acquired by MCA, Cineplex Odeon 1,450,000 statement by the newly dossiers of her portfolio. based company (ahead of the because they were issued on a MCA shares should the u.s. elected Liberal government's AccortIiftg to Baeon's press 23 and eight per cent of Cinep­ fully-diluted basis, means MCA company purchase the addi­ Cultural minister Lise Bacon attache Antoine Godbout, the lex stock held respectively by will not be able to exceed tional Cinep1ex shares, it af­ before the end of January. entire Bill 109 question is the Bronfman family and as­ equity ownership of 50 per fords other advantages. Under American pressure, "under study. The minister has sociates and Garth Drabinsky, cent should it opt for the addi­ Not only does the MCA in­ the distribution regulations met with the entire gov­ Cineplex president and chief tional shares. vestment add to Cineplex's were put on hold by the previ­ ernmental machine." It was, executive officer). As well, MCA will acquire capital, but it will also enable it ous Parti Quebecois govern­ Godbout told Cinema Furthermore, within 42 four out of the 15 positions on to retire some of the debt it ac­ ment cabinet at the height of Canada, merely a matter of months, the deal also provides the Cineplex Ode on board of quired during its purchase last the recent election campaign "technical verification" before MCA with the right to exercise directors (an expansion year of the Plitt Theatre cir­ which saw the PQ go down in Bacon made a public statement a purchase for MCA stock of up shareholders will vote on over cuit. Meanwhile, reaction to a landslide Liberal sweep on on the Bill 109 issue. (At to an additional 10,883,042 the next month - as well as on the Cineplex-MCA deal has Dec.