News
Eric Peterson joins ACTRA demonstration
ACTRA PERFORMERS PROTEST BROADCASTERS’ L.A. SPENDING SPREE
“Stop shipping our jobs south”
June 1, 2010 – Toronto – As Canadian private TV broadcasters unveil their fall schedules this week, performers rallied in Toronto today to demand more Canada on Canadian TV. “Here we are again today watching our broadcasters proudly trot out another largely made-in America fall line-up. I’m wondering what’s the point of having Canadian broadcasters if they just air the same shows we can watch on U.S. networks?” said Peter Keleghan.
“We’re challenging Global and CTV to start acting like Canadian broadcasters. Stop shipping our jobs south and instead ‘Buy Canadian’,” said Eric Peterson. “Shows like Corner Gas and Flashpoint prove when broadcasters make room for Canadian programs, Canadians watch. I’d like to think broadcasters have learned that they can be leaders in creating original programming and not just branch plants of big U.S. networks.”
CRTC figures show that private broadcasters spent a record $846.3 million U.S. and foreign shows in 2009 – over $100 million more than in 2008. At the same time, private broadcasters spent only $ 75.4 million on Canadian drama.
“We give broadcasters every economic advantage to make profits and by all means we want them to be successful. But it’s not right that they can just take that money and spend it all on another country’s programming. They’re our Canadian airwaves, we should be able to see our own TV on them,” said Ferne Downey, ACTRA National President.
The new CRTC policy gives Canadian broadcasters free rein on their exhibition of TV drama and doesn’t require that they air any of those programs, so the L.A. shopping sprees continue. ACTRA will continue to press for higher spending requirements and the imposition of exhibition requirements for Canadian programming during the 2011 licence renewal hearings.
“Broadcasters might remember a little show I starred in called Made in Canada, not only was it a great show with a very talented and handsome star, but it had a very catchy title,” Keleghan.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 21,000 members across Canada – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.
Media Contacts:
Carol Taverner, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA, (416) 644-1519, ctaverner@actra.ca
Chris Faulkner, ACTRA, (416) 642-6710 cell (647)227-3318 cfaulkner@actratoronto.com
Ontario’s film and TV production up 40%
Province’s tax incentives pay off, movie maker says; productions pour $1 billion into economy in 2009
There’s a happy ending to Hollywood North’s economic struggles drama.
While Red, a big-budget thriller starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich was shooting elsewhere in the Royal York Hotel Wednesday, executives from the Ontario Media Development Corp. were announcing film and television production in the province was up more than 40 per cent last year.
Despite a strong Canadian dollar and global economic challenges, the Ontario film and TV production industry contributed nearly $1 billion to Ontario coffers last year, corporation president and CEO Karen Thorne-Stone said. “We’re here marking a return to production levels we haven’t seen since 2002. I think this is a remarkable accomplishment.”
Red executive producer Jake Myers, who has shot five movies in Toronto, including Oscar winner Chicago, said professional crews and great locations help, but tax incentives are what lured the production here, away from U.S. locations the filmmakers were considering.
The Royal York is being used for a climactic political convention scene, said Myers, adding Toronto was the ideal location because it is able to play several cities in Red, including Chicago, Washington and Kansas City.
“Putting that (government) money into film pays off,” said Myers, pointing out that much more cash is spent here than just what goes into making Red. “I’m sure the restaurants are happy.”
Dollar values of both domestic productions and foreign-financed shows and movies saw an increase in Ontario. Part of the credit for the jump in offshore money coming here goes to the province sweetening the pot for Ontario’s production services tax credit. The government expanded credits for shooting here beyond using local crews to cover all eligible Ontario production costs.
Total foreign spending increased by $145.5 million, or 114 per cent in 2009, while domestic spending was up $129.8 million, or just over 23 per cent. The foreign productions responsible for the income boost included the Michael Cera comedy-adventure Scott Pilgrim vs. the World(due out in August) and a new ABC-TV series slated to start airing this spring, Happy Town.
An extra gets made up for ‘Red’, a film being shot Feb. 17, 2010, at the Royal York Hotel, where executives from the Ontario Media Development Corp. announced a 40 per cent increase last year in film and television production in the province.
KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR
Thorne-Stone said she anticipates “another strong year” in 2010, thanks to shoots underway or pending on Dream House, starring Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig, The Thingand Score: A Hockey Musical.
By Linda Barnard
Movies Writer
Short films come to the big screens in Toronto
by Melissa Leong
[Law & Order's Vincent D’Onofrio stars in The New Tenants alongside Liane Balaban in one of the celebrity shorts at this year's WWSFF. Photo courtesy CFC]
At the launch of the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival a few years ago, one filmmaker told the Post: “The best part is if you don’t like one of the films, it’s over in three minutes anyway.”
But this year’s festival features 281 short films from a record 4,046 submissions so organizers are hoping that there will be more to love. These shorts from around the world include live-action, documentary, animation and experimental films. There are shorts that represent Quebecois cinema and shorts that spotlight Poland. There is a collection of short films by, for and about women and a collection of celebrity shorts that feature Robert Pattinson, Will Ferrell and Don Cheadle.
Tickets are $10 for each 90-minute program with five to 20 films.
“This year really represents a tour de force in shorts programming,” Eileen Arandiga, festival director, said in a written release. “We have more premieres than ever before, more diverse programming and an incredible line-up of films directed by women – we are really seeing a shift in who’s standing behind the camera.”
The CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from June 1 to 6 in Toronto. For more information visit http://www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com