Cinema Canada (Oct-Nov 1974)

SOCETY OF FILIMIIVIAKERS P.O. Box 1118, Place D’Armes Station Montreal, Quebec H2Y 3J6 Since our first regular appearance in the pages of CINEMA CANADA, the Society of Film Makers has been approached with many prospective new members who tell us that they had never realized the scope of the Society’s activities and contribution to the Canadian Film Industry over so many years. We therefore would like to tell you a little about our history, our present activities, and hopefully, how the S.F.M. might prove worthy of your membership. The Society was formed in 1963, which to a good number of you will sound like prehistoric times for our Industry. With a membership consisting mainly of National Film Board personnel, the S.F.M. was concerned primarily with internal N.F.B. matters. With the setting up of the N.F.B. unions not very long afterwards (one of the reasons for forming the S.F.M.) the S.F.M. rather than disband, expanded its membership to actively include private industry members, and reoriented its concentrations primarily on matters which affect private industry. The S.F.M was therefore a major factor in interesting N.F.B. staff to the concerns of private industry and a broader and healthier outlook to the Industry as a whole. In the 1970’s, S.F.M. membership has been formed almost equally between N.F.B. and private industry members. Indeed, the present S.F.M. President, Peter Adamakos, has no N.F.B. or government background but has enjoyed totally a private industry career. The S.F.M. has been instrumental in shaping the nature of the Film Industry today. It has been responsible for volumes of documented material that has formed the basis of hundreds of briefs, reports, and studies. An S.F.M. voice was present as the government pondered the setting up of the C.F.D.C. The S.F.M. recommended Sydney Newman as Government Film Commissioner. The S.F.M. obtained for the film industry a 66 Cinema Canada Everything you always wanted to know about The Society of Filmmakers... Peter Benison Secretary-Treasurer voice and an influence within non-film organizations, such as the Canadian Conference of the Arts, and the Canadian Broadcasting League, while enjoying a voice within more film-oriented bodies such as the Canadian Film Awards and the C.F.D.C. advisory body. The S.F.M. is a Society concerned not only with the day-to-day problems of the Film Maker: work, money, grants etc., but also looks to the higher aims of the Industry as a whole. The S.F.M. is concerned with the name and the reputation of the Film Industry within the community as well. It was only natural, therefore, that the S.F.M. would seek membership within organizations not solely devoted to film, as mentioned above, but with communications as a whole. Indeed, the S.F.M. has often found itself championing causes in which the other organizations have little interest, but which do affect the film makers of Canada. The S.F.M. was able to show the Federal Government that private industry deplored the government’s soon abandoned austerity goal for the N.F.B. some years back. Today, the S.F.M. is alone in the industry fighting those governments putting film makers out of work with their legislation to ban the entire medium of animation in tele vision commercial advertising. The S.F.M. has recently presented a brief to the C.R.T.C. demanding that nearly all commercials shown or heard in Canada be made in Canada. This position, first put forward by the S.F.M. in 1964 has now gathered enough support to become a Virtual certainty, as the S.F.M. now explores issues which will become resolved years from now for the benefit of Canadian film makers. In service to the Industry as a whole, the S.F.M. finds its purpose. Playing no favorites, setting no faction or discipline of the industry against another, the S.F.M. carries on into its tenth year. We believe that the industry must unite and urges film makers to not only represent themselves within their guilds, unions, and craft associations, but in addition, once their personal interests are served by those concerns, join the S.F.M. to fulfill the higher goals of a united industry, as we have proven can be done, as for example when the S.F.M.’s awards were merged with the Canadian Film awards in the 1960s for the good of the Industry, a far cry from today’s trend as the various associations are conveniently emasculating the C.F.A. to present themselves awards once again. The S.F.M. is now accepting memberships for the soon to begin 1974-75 year. People who are professional film makers may apply for membership. The initiation fee is $10.00 with a yearly membership fee of $15.00. We would like to point out that those who have made a contribution to the Canadian Film Industry by having at one time joined the Society of Film Makers may do so againwithout paying the initiation fee. Branches exist in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Members of the Executive also operate from Ottawa and Regina. Members can be found from Halifax to Vancouver. We need and request your support for the Industry and sincerely hope that we may count.on your support.