CINEMA CAN A D A • Which way to the future? BY BOB VERRALL In December, Cinema Canada asked Bob now co ntracted out to freelancers. Six of 29 Verrall to report on the NFB as it begall the distribution offices have been closed to date and, post-Macerola era (Film Commissioner although 16mm libraries have been maintained, the videocassette is on its way to being the Frall90is Macerola left the board 011 Dec. 1) alld entered its 50th year. principal component of the library sys tem . Origil1ally hired by Normall McLaren , Mr. In return fo r this reduction in infrastructure the D. O. C. had promised that the money freed Verrallwa s an employee of the board for 40 up, estimated at SID million per yea r, would be years durillg which time his positiolls illcluded kept by the NFB and reallocated to new Head of the Allimatioll Departmmt, Director programmes. And, although the Board would of Ellglish Production alld Head of Studio B. receive no increases, the budget wou ld be Healso served for atime as president of the protected from cuts at constant '84 dollars. S. C. C. T. -NFB, (Unioll of Filmmakers and This promise has not been kept. Not only ha ve Techn icia I1s). th ere been cuts to the annual appropriation but supplementary funding expected to cover expensive initiatives of the Commissioner's t the time I left the NFB, in the winter office - ego the cost for an application to licence of '86: I was hopeful about the future: ~ / a specialty youth chan nel - TV Canada ; Drama the Board's recent performance had I j lab; Saskatchewan Film Development; - has not given the lie to the Applebaum-Hebert ,--' , bee n forthcoming. And inflation has been Report, which had deemed the NFB allowed to reduce what was left of any savings to A"irrelevant ", by producing some of its best and zero. most innova tive films, - Filial Offer; Canada's The Board now find s itseU much smaller and Sweetheart ; 90 Days; The Big Snit; Feeling Yes, poorer in the bargain : programmes are on hold Feeling No; Incident at Restigollche ; DenlOcracy 011 if not cancelled in every production centre across Trial : The Morgen taler Affair; If YOII Love This the country and freelancers, who had expected Planet ;the War series; tonamea few . The Board contracts, are cooling their heels or giving up on was being acclaimed in the press and celebrated the Board . The Lab, still the best in the country, at festivals in Montreal, Toronto, Cannes and soldiers on trying to cope with the demands of Hollywood as the place where some of the most the PAFPS programme (professional assistance gifted Canadian filmmakers were working. to filmmakers in the private sector - see" Getting There was also, at th at time, a dark side: The aired : the 'right' spin " Cinema Cal/ada , Dec. '88), Film &Video Policy introduced by Francis Foxin Bob Verrall the heavy demands of feature co-productions, the spring of '84, while apparently refuting the The rhetoric of reaffirmation in the Policy was By the winter of '86 the Five Year Operational and what remains of the Board's own recommendations of Applebaum-Hebert by not able to disguise an inherent contradiction : if Plan was into its second year with its defenders programme, with virtually a skeleton staff. Next reaffirming the Board's role as public producer the objective ofthe Policy and the Five Yea r Plan insisting that the Policy would ha ve been worse year more of the same is expected if not worse and distributor of film and video, nevertheless was to ensure that the Board would continue as but fo r the Commissioner's vigorous in terven­ wi th rumours of further budget cuts. called for a diminution of this role and a radical a "world centre of excellence ", how would this tions at D. O. C. There were elements of the In the midst of this turmoil the Film overhaul of its operation. be possible if the policy proposals were carried plan which made sense, fo r exa mple, Commissioner has said goodbye, leaving last The Board was instructed to prepare a Five out in full? recognition of the growing importance of video December to work for Prodevio Lavalin Inc. as Year Operational Plan which would, among "In the interests of channelling more public delivery systems. And, of course, noone argued Executive Director of operations of a film and other things, transfer control, production and resources into private production, the Policy against reasonable reduction in the cost of television production centre in downtown revenue of government-sponsored films to the proposed to dismantle the infrastructure­ administration : the NFB would be leaner and Montreal. private sector; increase the use of freelancers physical and intellectual- which has permitted healthier, with more money freed up for In a final statement made at the time of his through a major reduction of staff; streamline the NFB its stature. Both the collaborative production. leaving, Franr;ois Macerola said concerning his the distribution network by closing a number of creative production teams, and the fully Briefl ys tated tha t, as I recall, was the situation legacy, "\ don't want to do a postmortem, \ film libraries ; favour electronic packaging over integrated facility within which they have back then . would rather imagine something new than 16mm distribution; contract out technical worked, would disappear as the volume of What abou t now? remember my time at the NFB . " services and sell technical facilities not needed in-house production shrunk forCing yet more Clearly the NFBh as tried to make the best of People at the Boa rd are not surprised that he for training and research ; and channel more reductions in the NFB's creative personnel, things and keep its end of the bargain: staff has would choose to forget what theyse e as a time of resources into R&D for the benefit of the technicians and services. " (Setting the Record been reduced from LOOO to 700, or approxi­ further disintegration of an organization that industry. Straight August, 1985). mately 30 %. Roughly 70 %of the program is lVas supposed to be renewed . CINEMA CANADA PAGE 9 CINEMA CAN A D A • It is believed that his regime encouraged a governed by imperatives of the marketplace­ drama s. Begun as training for producers, telecasts. The provincial educational channels larger involvement in co-production with the pressures which will distort, if not corrupt, its directors, writers and crew, working with and new independent stations, which together private sector of expensive feature films than is central purpose of public service. actors, two series ha ve been completed so far, comprise an ad hoc network, have become an healthy, given that the Board's role in this is What, then, is at stake? Consider some of the first dealing with BiD Ethics (in demand important window for NFB films. The Reckonillg mainly that of dispensor of funds and puveyor of what the Board has produced these past few worldwide by medical schools) and Wednesday's series, refused by the (BC because it did not goods and services, with the little or no creative years: Beverly Shaffer's To ASafer Place ; the Oi/dren - ca uses of teenage crime. In the conform to the corporation's notion of balance input or control. Oscar-nominated George and Rosemary; Gil Multi-Media studio, Julie Stanfel has launched and fairness - read blandness - was shown There are few or no complaints about support Cardinal's Foster Child; Alanis Obomsawin's Perspectives in Science, a pilot series of" interac­ across Canada via this network and carried as for films like Unfinished Bllsiness ; Anile Trister, Le POllndmaker's Lodge, AHealing Place, and No tive" videos which tackle moral issues in well on P. B. S. border stations. So the TV Dec/in de I'Empire AmeriCllin ; Un Zoo la Nil it. And Address; Jacques Godbout's Will/ames; Michel science, technology and the environment. audience is numbered in the millions and it has been gratifying to see the Board thanked Regnier's Silcre Nair; Patricia Watson's The judging from the above, the idealism which growing. for helping such films as My American COllsin; I Legacy Of Mary McKewan; Bonnie Klein's Mile infected the NFB during the days of Grierson Numerous polls, including a most recent Hear The Mermaids Singillg; Life Classes; and Zero; Dorothy Henault's Flrewords; Les Drew's remains intact. Consider the subject matter of survey commissioned by the NFB, confirm that Fallstlls Bidgood; help that ranged from the Every Dog's Gil ide To Home Safety. And some this partial list : incest, aging, Metis women; audiences want more thoughtful and provoca­ modest - an office, phone and photocopier - to major series : Norma Bailey's four-part Dallghters foster care; alchohol & drug abuse; the homeless; tive documentaries on their TV screens in some post-production. Of The COllntry; Defence Of Canada, sequel to the disarmament; North-South dialogue; poets and addition to News and 'The Journal'. The Task But the extent of the present and projected acclaimed War series featuring Gwyn Dyer; At authors; road safety; safety in the home ; social Force on Broadcasting Policy, 1986, stated: "We claim of the co-production of features on the The IA'heel, judged the best yet on driver safety; history; political history; economics; racism; are persuaded that the Board has a significant diminished resources of the place, at a time Don Brittain's King Chronicles; Don Winkler's medical ethics ; teenage crime; the environment. contribution to make to Canadian television ... when Telefilm's budget has increased and the and Alan Handel's additions to the Canadian The Board's bashers, mainly people obsessed in its proven fields of excellent social issue Board's has been cut, makes no sense.