Canadian Heritage committee  There are different schools of thought about this. The traditional school of thought is that for people to go to the movies, go to the trouble of parking their cars, and pay $12 or more for a ticket, the film cannot at the same time be available for less at the push of a button in their own living room.

Canadian Heritage committee  Shockingly little: the math is unappealing. The exhibitor automatically keeps 50%, so that leaves $6 out of $12. That goes to the distributor. The distributor will charge a distribution fee. Call it 30%. Sometimes it's less and sometimes it's more. Thirty per cent of $6 is $1.80.

Canadian Heritage committee  The math is a little better. For one thing, there are virtually no marketing costs. They're minimal. For the exhibitor, it really varies as to whether it's iTunes, or Netflix, or an app, but they will keep less than 50%.

Canadian Heritage committee  It could be 30%. It could be 40%. There is more coming to the distributor. The distributor's fee will be the same as it would be if it were in movie theatres, but then there are no marketing costs, so there is significantly more money coming back to the producer and investor from the other media.

Canadian Heritage committee  Piers has covered most of this. I'll just add this. There is no shortage of young people who want to make movies, quite the contrary. It is an extremely competitive industry. My own son is in the business, and I certainly spent several years when he was very young trying to persuade him to find something else to do.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, it's too early to tell. This is a film that we just finished. On September 12 at 6:30 p.m., I think you could probably see it at the organization... I shouldn't say this here, but there's no press in the room, so I think it's okay. You probably can see it at Piers Handling's place at TIFF, but no one's seen the film yet so it's too early to tell.

Canadian Heritage committee  I don't know how to combat piracy. Minds a lot better versed than mine in technology seem to have a great deal of trouble grappling with it, but if government would make it a priority to battle piracy, that would be helpful, and not only to the Canadian industry. It would be helpful to all the audiovisual arts.

Canadian Heritage committee  Well....

Canadian Heritage committee  I'm not sure that there is a problem with the partnership with Telefilm Canada—

Canadian Heritage committee  Telefilm has been in charge of creating a presence for Canadian film internationally, along with Canadian distributors who sell Canadian films and now TIFF has, I think very correctly, begun to use its brand, which has become global. It is one of the world's greatest festivals and hence has a brand or a currency that can be used abroad.

Canadian Heritage committee  Really? I'm a lot taller than he is. He's a short guy. There are so many. It's tough to choose. In Barney's Version, we were shooting a scene in a bar in Montreal that used to be Mordecai Richler's favourite watering hole. That's why we were there. It was a scene between Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti, who played his son in the film.

Canadian Heritage committee  I've saved it.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's an ongoing challenge that has plagued the distribution of Canadian films, because even when there is a film.... The films I produce usually have the benefit of serious marketing budgets, but even then.... Some years ago, I produced a film called Barney's Version, which premiered at TIFF and then opened in theatres.

Canadian Heritage committee  Today is the first time that I've voiced this.

Canadian Heritage committee  Let me try to understand the question. Do you mean the advantage of them going away?