Evidence of meeting #42 for Canadian Heritage in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was films.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
I just want to finish this question.
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
I am not surprised that you are trying once again to defend culture from top to bottom instead of celebrating it for what it can be. You think that culture cannot be commercial, that we cannot make a profit from it and that we even have to lose money for it. But that's not true.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Apart from the money issue, I would have said the same thing, rest assured.
Conservative
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to meet with us. I would like to give you my seven short minutes.
You have been very clear about the difficulties you are facing, and maybe less clear about what we can do for you. What do you expect from the federal government? What do you want this committee to recommend in its report to the federal government? You have been very clear about the challenges, but why would we care about you, and if we need to care about you, what can we do for you?
Whether it is to make money or to have culture, I don't care. What can we do?
Executive Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada
There are just a few things that come to my mind.
First of all, as we said, we are huge supporters of the Canadian film industry. It only behooves us to have a strong indigenous film industry.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Let's say we want that. What should we do differently?
Executive Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada
They need more money for marketing. More money needs to be focused on marketing these films.
Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada, and Chief Legal Officer, Cineplex Entertainment LP
It could also be redirected from existing funds.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Can you be more precise about what this redirection should be and how it would work? How should it be designed?
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
One of the things—
Liberal
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
No, I think we will agree on this. There are a few things we disagree on, but this is one of the ones we agree on.
The truth of the matter is very simple. You make a great movie. Whether it is a commercial or a non-commercial movie is irrelevant. People seem to think that once they've made their movie, once they have their paycheque and everything is done, everybody is supposed to know the movie is there. We don't.
The truth of the matter is, there has to be a true dedication to marketing and promoting through all vehicles: social media, newspaper, TV, whatever. It has to be supported. You have to be able—
Liberal
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
No, it's not the job of the government, but I'm saying that Telefilm could very well impose in its budgets, that when it approves a movie that it has to be more stringent, more direct, and more clear that before x amount of money goes out to pay for everything under the sun for production, maybe a certain amount of budget has to go to promoting that movie.
Do you know how many times it happens that a movie is released and two or three months later, somebody sends me an email and asks, “When are you going to play this movie?” Are you kidding me or what? It came out two months ago. But all of a sudden the person realizes that the movie is out, because now we're talking about it on TV or whatever. So there has to be a better promotional fund to help sell these movies we make. Whether they're 100% cultural or 100% commercial is irrelevant. Marketing dollars are the key to making Canadian productions known.
Liberal
Chair, Ciné Entreprise, Chief Executive Officer, Movie Theatre Association of Canada
I agree with my colleague and I'd like to add that the basis of any good film is a good story, so I think when government agencies look at the next film, whether it's an art picture or a difficult picture, they have to keep the audience in mind.
Once you have an audience in mind, that's where the argument for marketing kicks in. You have to promote this event. You have to promote this great picture, and because it's a great picture, you will not disappoint.
I'll be a bit on the rough side and say the following. I play all the Quebec pictures, and a problem that I sometimes have is that when I play a bad one, and my customer comes back for another one, they say, “No, not another bad Quebec picture”. I like all sorts of pictures, whether they are festival pictures...but we have to keep an audience in mind.
You have to focus. You're making this picture for who and how many.
Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada, and Chief Legal Officer, Cineplex Entertainment LP
But there's an audience for all sorts of films.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
I'm puzzled because we, the government, are bad for that. We are not in business. The ones who know how to target products should be you.
Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada, and Chief Legal Officer, Cineplex Entertainment LP
We don't make the content.
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
No, but I understand your problem. The problem is I think you have to realize that while you're not directly in the game, and contrary to the thinking of your colleague down there who believes that you're not in the business, you are in the business. Telefilm Canada, which you fund, is in the business of making movies.
Executive Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada
They are producers.
Vice-president, President, Association des propriétaires de cinémas du Québec, Cinémas Guzzo
They are producers. They are in the business. So being in the business, Telefilm has to set the rules and regulations to allow access to those movies. My concern and my biggest worry...and to answer the previous question about why we should save the movie industry, the movie industry isn't dying. It's other people who don't seem to be successful in their jobs who want to change the rules that may affect us. So we're saying, let's not change the rules; let's just help you guys make more money. —
