Film producers say a $40-million funding boost to the Canada Media Fund could help the country tell more stories from places and voices that have historically been left out of cultural conversations in Canada.
The additional money, to be spread over Ottawa’s next two fiscal years for francophone content and groups underrepresented in the screen world, was announced in Tuesday’s federal budget amid a swath of funding announcements for Canada’s arts and cultural sectors.
It is not yet clear how the money will be allocated, and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) declined to discuss it in an interview until the organization is given more details. But chief executive officer Valerie Creighton said in a statement that she hoped the announcement was a sign Ottawa would more permanently boost the organization’s funding, “which will bolster the domestic content production sector … and contribute to Canada’s economic recovery.”
Mylène Augustin, producer and co-owner of Inaru Films in Montreal, said that she hoped the funding would help make the CMF’s Pilot Program for Racialized Communities indefinite. Inaru works with underrepresented filmmakers, with an emphasis on Black voices, and is in the midst of producing a web series for Radio-Canada called Les météorites that benefitted from the pilot program.
“Because we’re a young company, it’s one of the only programs we can get funding from. So for us, it’s really crucial they continue developing that program,” Augustin said.
Daniela Mujica, founder of Productions Ocho, also said she is waiting for more clarity on how the $40-million will be disbursed, including how much will be earmarked for francophone productions.
Mujica has benefitted from several CMF programs, including the Pilot Program for Racialized Communities. She said it was very competitive to enter the program, emphasizing the sheer demand among Black, Indigenous and other racialized filmmakers and producers who would benefit from more funding.
“There are a lot of voices,” she said. “They have stories to tell.”
In an e-mail on Tuesday, Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said: “I’m happy to see, once again, important investments in the arts and culture sector,” which “support opportunities for our artists to tell our stories through festivals, events, and projects, and much more.”
The federal government said Tuesday that it would provide an additional $5-million in each of the next two fiscal years for the National Film Board for both continued support as well as “people employed in the cultural sector, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, and 2SLGBTQI+ people as well as persons with disabilities.”
The film board declined to comment Wednesday.
Also announced was $28-million to be directed over two years to the National Arts Centre, as well as $53-million for building maintenance for Canada’s six national museums and the National Battlefields Commission. Starting in the 2024-25 fiscal year, meanwhile, Ottawa’s Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program will receive an additional $14-million in funding over two years for its recipients, which include local festivals and community facilities across Canada.
The government said it would additionally spend $4-million over two years on domestically made content for France’s TV5MONDE platform to give Franco-Canadian film and TV producers greater access to that crucial market.
The federal cash injection is expected to be followed by extra funding for Canada’s creative industries following the passage into law of Ottawa’s online streaming bill, which is now in its final parliamentary stages.
Bill C-11 updates Canada’s broadcast laws and ensures that streaming platforms such as Netflix contribute financially to the country’s film and TV scene, as well as promote Canadian content.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the film producer Daniela Mujica was an executive producer with Pimiento Médias; she no longer works with that company.