CINEMA CAN •A D A negotiate wi th the splinter group and that the "We get used to the fact that the ministry is a bit Quebec formation of a new association will not adversely Flora gracious of a revolving door. Because the job requires a affect the 30-year-old association. certain level of sophisticated expertise, we have distributors Latour and members of the new association in defeat to go through a learning curve with every new insist that the fund has polarized the theatrical minister. In Flora's case the learning curve was divided over fi lmdishibution industry into those larger OTT AW A - Flora MacDonald, the very short and she had a really good grasp of the distributors with access to a $100,000 to $1. 5 Conservatives' popular minister of Culture and basics. She was definitely in there swinging. It new film fund million (maximum) line of credit in the main Communications, went down to defeat in her would be my guess that she ran into a great deal fund and the smaller dishibutors with a smaller home riding of Kingston and the Island s. of difficulty with the rest of the Cabinet. We felt MONTREAL - Fearful that eligibility criteria for contingency fund. First-time candidate Liberal Peter Milliken, a her efforts in the ministry were frustrated the new Feature Film Distribution Fund will Latour explains that this havelhave-not local lawyer, campaigned hard against free trade repeatedly by the Cabinet. " severely curtail their business in the domestic situation will result in unfair competition where and brought an end to Ms. MacDonald's 16-year Ms. MacDonald herself remains graceful. and foreign markets, seve ral Quebec-based "the larger commercial distributors will reign in Kingston politics. She began her eve n cheerful in defeat. "I will greatly miss the distributors and exporters have resigned from ultimately determine who makes films" by political career at 19 as a secretary at the local mental stimulation," she said, "that is so the Association qUl2becoise des di stributeurs et offering guarantees that the companies not Tory headquarters. characteristic of the department of exportateurs de films et de video and formed an included in the main fund ca nnot afford. "Without a doubt," Ms. MacDonald told Communications. That stimulation comes from independent lobby association. The producerslVill have no choice but to go to Cinema Ca/wda, "the responsi bility I enjoyed the not only the bureaucrats but from the many The four former members of the AQDEFVare where the money is, says Latour. He explains most during my time in Ottawa was as minister client groups it must serve, which, in As tral Films, Les Films du Crepuscule, France that expertise in the field , particularly in foreign of Communications. I ha ve served longer than themselves, are so creative, so ingenious, and at Film and Cine 360 . The), ha ve been joined by sales, will soon be eclipsed by the power of any other woman, except for Agnes Mc Phail . times so argumentative. " She will be missed. seven other distribution and expor ting public funding That's a record, and one that I am rather proud There is a grea t deal of speculation about who companies to form the Federation Latour also decries the fact that half of the of. will replace her. In the interim, it is likely that professionnelle des distributeurs et exportateurs fund could concei va bly be spent on "inflated" "We set up the feature film fund , which was the post will be assumed by a former minister in de films du Quebec guarantees for foreign films. tremendously important to the industry, and conjunction with other duties until the The association's mandate is to seek a more " All th e fund s, not just 50 per cent, should be we brought in a film dishibution bill with $200 Conservatives have cleared the plate of their free democratic application of the fund , says Jan reinvested through dishibution into Canadian million attached for both distribution and trade agenda and a new cabinet is announced, Rofekamp, president of Films Transit and productions. Here (in Canada) is where we production, which has made a major probably in the new year. vice-president of the new association . want to make pictures with good export value contribution. We are now in the process of He says the association is in unanimous and where producers can count on solid stabilizing Telefilm which was a mere child agreement, at this early stage, that the fund guarantees for the domestic and foreign when we came into office and no wit is one of the should not subsidize foreign films. markets. Di verting taxpayers' money to foreign major cultural agencies in the country. Among other objections with regard to this production will not help our Canadian "In the future , the big things I would want to $17 million distribution fund, administered by industry, " says Latour. see done are broadcasting, which has already Macerola says Telefilm on a five- year renewable basis, is Rofekamp, who has started a letter-writing gone through the House, film legislation, and inadequate consultation by Telefilm and campaign directed in protest at Pierre work is nearly complete on the second phase of goodbye NFB, Communications Canada with the industry DesRoches, director of Telefilm Canada, argues the copyright bill. We should see all of these prior to setting eligibility criteria. that dishibution companies will use the main things through in the next year. " hello Lavalin Pierre Latour, formerly of Malofilm and now fund to acquire " all rights " including foreign "She certainly earned everyone's respect, " head of dishibution at Max Films and a founding sales that otherwise would be handled by an said Peter Mortimer of the Association of MONTREAL - Citing John Irving's 'Garp' - member of the new association, told Cillema independent exporter like Films Transit. Canadian Film and Television Producers. "We "Imagining something is better than Callaria that it was obvious from the beginning In a letter to DesRoches he writes: "Our own all share in what is probably her own sense of remembering something ,. - Fran~ois Macerola, that consultation was" a one track deal. " minimum guarantees cannot be as high as those acute disappointment. " Sam Jephcott of the film commissioner of the National Film Board of "There was no diversification, " says Latour. of the government-backed companies because Canadian Film and Television Association said it Canada, says he is prepared to leave the NFBon "They listened only to the association we ha ve to estimate our minimum guarantees was sad to see Ms. MacDonald go. "She was Dec. 1, 1988 and not look back. (AQ DEFV ) and the big six." upon the real market value of the film ... The totally committed to fighting for us all the way. Macerola's five-year mandate ends on May 29, The big six, according to Latour, are: Norstar eligible group does not ha ve to worry about It's disturbing to lose a champion. " 1989 but in March he will go to work for Releasing, Toronto; Spectrafilm, Toronto; this... In the case the film does not make money Contacted in Ottawa for comment, Michael Prodevco La valin Inc. as the executive director Malofilm Group, Montreal; Cine pix, Montreal; there is no reimbursement. " Hind-Smith, spokesperson for the cable of operations of a $50 million film and television AllianceNivafilm, Montreal and Cinema Plus, Based on specific criteria, a total of 23 industry said, "We regret very much the defeat production centre on Rene Levesque Blvd. This Montreal. Canadian film distribution companies (out of 30 of Flora MacDonald. She did contribute a grea t complex is scheduled to open in mid-1990. Of these six companies, the fOlir applications) have qualified for funding this deal to the structure of the future of broadcasting "There should be no doubt about the viability Montreal-based companies remain members of year. Fifteen of these companies have received a and cable industries against considerable of the private sector in the Canadian film the AQDEFV. fixed amount in the main fund while the odds. " Michael McCabe, president of the industry," says Macerola. Joseph Beaubien, lobbyist for the AQD EFV, remaining eight companies must apply on a Canadian Association of Broadcasters, who "11' s true that in a few years I might be singing disagrees on all counts. He says the criteria are film-by-film basis. worked for Ms. Mac Donald in Kings ton during a different song but, today, there is a lot of the resu lt of six months of consultation with The fund s must be used as a minimum her early cam paigns, also thinks tha t she made a money from Telefilm and private investors and a associations across Canada and that the main distributor's gua rantee for Canadian theatrical con tribution. "She tried to advance the cause of lot of partners open to co-productions . " fund was created to serve the more viable films or to acquire foreign theatrical features for fil m distribution and the cause of broadcasting Macerola told Cillema Callada that he is ready companies while the contingency fund will help the Canadian market. and she got more money for the CBe. for the private sector. more companies become eligible for the main For every foreign acq uisition and for every "She wo rked very hard, " McCabe said, "and "I could ha ve asked the minister to renew my fund. inves tment in one's own production, where the I don't think she ach ieved what she wanted to term but after 10 years at the NFB, I'm ready for "11 is the marketplace that decides who does dis tributor is also the producer, there must be an ac hieve, but I think she was headed in the right another challenge and the NFB is ready for business, not the fund , .