Cinema Canada (Dec 1974-Jan 1975)

A General View After close to six months of non-stop shooting in Québec, feature film production has come to what is known as the “seasonal halt”. With sometimes four or more features shooting at the same time, you had to share some equipment with other productions and the labs were operating 24 hours a day to get the rushes back in time. Activities began back in early ~ spring with director Denys Arcand (On Est Au Coton, Réjeanne Padovani) shooting Gina for Les Productions CarleLamy. That production put an end to close to 8 months of straight unemployment or intermittent work on commercials for the majority of members of Syndicat National du Cinéma. For the producers and directors it was after a long awaited OK from the all powerful CFDC that finally they were able to finance another project. CFDC executives were busy planning and reorienting their form of action and trying to diversify their investments in the production of films for television, considered a more steady and viable market. No major reshaping of the film production policy was made public by CFDC officials after that long period of introspection. Chances of restructure and venture in new sectors of film production are elusive but some concrete efforts were made in the distribution field. Among those, the CFDC is backing a 30 Cinema Canada project organised by the Conseil Québécois pour la Diffusion du Cinéma to investigate new alternatives to the established networks. This will be achieved through contact with cultural organisations outside of Montréal and also through programming of Québec films in commercial theatres rented by the Conseil. Covering 13 feature films (Red, Le Grand Film Ordinaire, Montréal Blues, Tu Briles Tu Briles, L’Infonie Inachevée, On Engraisse Pas Les Cochons A L’Eau Claire, Réjeanne Padovani, La Mort D’Un Bicheron, Les Maudits Sauvages, Guitare, La Conquéte, Les Ordres, Bar Salon) this agreement should make available to the public previously submerged with American films in dubbed versions and porno flicks that literally jam the circuits outside of Montréal. For the beginning of the season, the distributors launched a good number of Québec films. Les Films Mutuels released two commercial features that were intended for large audiences, Les Deux Pieds Dans La Méme Bottine by Pierre Rose and La Pomme La Queue Et Les Pepins by Claude Fournier (Alien Thunder is not yet released in Québec). Pierre David’s distribution outfit was also responsible for marketing Potterton Production’s Child Under A Leaf directed by George Bloomfield and starring Dyan Cannon and Donald Pilon and the highly acclaimed Les Ordres by Michel Brault, which was a complete success critically as well as in public response. Brault’s film is in the best tradition of Québec films that gained international recognition because of their portrait of a situation through dramatic approach, and documentary style. Faroun Films was taking care of Montreal Main by young director Frank Vitale and Valse A Trois ... by Fernand Rivard. Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie ‘released Les Beaux Dimanches by Richard Martin from a play by Marcel Dubé (Martin is a staff director at CBC and he directed Finalement ... in the private sector in 1971). Les Beaux Dimanches is a Mojack Films production. The distributors are now planning their future releases and their energy is going into making press books, posters and the traditional press releases. Cinépix, which did not show in the first part of the season, might well be the heavyweight of the