Yes.
Brian and I just talked before about specifically which genres we feel the CBC should be addressing. We wanted to bring them up based on both our own personal business experiences and how we've worked with the CBC.
I know you heard Carl Bessai speak very passionately about feature films, so I'm only going to speak very briefly and make a point. Five years ago, at the CBC's licence renewal, they made a promise—it wasn't a condition of licence but a promise—to spend $30 million on the marketing and licensing of Canadian feature films. This was at a time when Heritage brought forth the Canadian Feature Film Fund. I'm a big believer that if government is going to make a decision, there had better be harmony. Why isn't there harmony? If you're going to spend the money, let's get all of the agencies and institutions involved in meeting the objectives of the Canadian theatrical box office.
Simultaneously, SRC committed $20 million to the marketing and licensing of Canadian feature films. They followed through, and I have to say that has to be a contributing factor to the success of the Quebec box office. There are many other factors, but that has to be one of them.
The CBC did not fulfill its $30-million promise on feature films, and I think it should have. I made a feature film that the CBC licensed at the time—I think they paid $75,000 or $100,000 for the licence, around 2000—and that film went on to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. It won the Claude Jutra Prize for best first feature film. It sold to the Sundance Channel in the United States. It broke a major Canadian talent onto the scene. That was partially because the CBC participated in a licensing fashion, which they don't do at all anymore, or very infrequently.
In terms of art, it's very much a concern to me that recently the performing arts giant called Opening Night has essentially been obliterated. One of the most talented people at the CBC in terms of staff is a man named Robert Sherrin, who runs the arts programming section.
I believe strongly that it's the role of a public broadcaster to reflect the art and culture of society, and it is important that the CBC make some kind of commitment to arts programming or a reflection of the arts in Canada. If it doesn't, the only place Canadians will have will be Bravo. The future of Bravo is under question right now, given the purchase of CHUM by CTV.
We made a film that was an adaptation of a play locally, called The Score, for Opening Night. It went on to become the only Canadian dramatic television film nominated at the Banff television awards last year for best television movie. It was in a global competition against hundreds of other films submitted from around the world, and it would not have been made if it wasn't for Opening Night.
The third genre I want to speak about is documentary. Obviously documentary is a realistic reflection of our culture, and it is something that Canada has a long history with. We're known around the world for documentaries because of institutions like the NFB and the CBC, and I think the CBC needs to make a very clear commitment to documentary. They currently have The Doczone on Thursday night, but what is unclear to us as independent producers is how much will be produced in-house and out-of-house, and there needs to be a very clear commitment to the documentary form.
If you read this, you'll note how much the CBC depends on sports for its audience share, and I think that could be problematic if the NHL goes to another network.
Those are my thoughts on genres.
Brian, did you want to say more?