Cinema Canada (Dec 1974-Jan 1975)

SOCETY OF FILITIIMIAKERS P.O. Box 1118, Place D’Armes Station Montreal, Quebec H2Y 3J6 The new season 1974-75 has begun with a flurry of activity. In recent days the Society has made its views known during an advisory group meeting of the Canadian Film Development Corporation, and during a meeting of the Canadian Film Awards Executive, both held in Toronto. Your Executive is delighted to see a good many of our present members have rejoined the Society for the new year so quickly, and we have been pleased to welcome many new members to the Society from Vancouver,Toronto and Montreal. We look forward to hearing from new members from other parts of Canada too — we know you’re out there! Unfortunately a date has not yet been set for the Annual General Meeting, at which the Executive for the new year will be confirmed officially, this having been done by mail earlier, according to the constitutional amendment passed this summer allowing for a two-year Executive. Confirmation of the meeting’s time, place and date will be sent to members as soon as possible. The Society recently hosted a private industry meeting at which the special guests were the heads of the four film laboratories in Montreal, as well as the heads of the two optical houses in Montreal. In attendance as well, for a pleasant evening of shop talk, were 32 producers and interested parties. The meeting was a genuine success. Everyone learned of the ‘“‘other fellow’s” particular problems, views, etc. in the mutally dependent roles of producers — lab expediters, and lab and optical personnel. The Society had asked the National Film Board for the loan of a large meeting room for the event, and the Board agreed to thus assist what was exclusively a private industry affair. The meeting was arranged at the suggestion of several S.F.M. members in Montreal, and serves as a perfect example of one —Peter Adamakos of the Society’s functions — to be used and to be called upon by its members actively The Advisory Group of the Canadian Film Development Corporation, after a year in mothballs, was finally called upon again by the CFDC to a meeting in Toronto recently. One of the few decisions to come out of the meeting was an assurance that meetings would be held in future regularly, and more frequently, a point which the SFM has been trying to make for years. The present state of near-crisis in the feature film industry in Canada was undoubtedly the reason for calling the meeting as a further meeting is planned for early December, at which there is to be a definitive answer given by the CFDC on the tax write-off question. The meeting, in a mere four hours tackled many other subjects such as CFDC funding of short films, of fully-funded feature films, of grants for writing, film festival participation, distribution and_ exhibition problems, the use of non-Canadians in CFDC features, and other matters. Naturally all that could be hoped for was a statement of positions and brief debate, a factor that prompted the decision to meet as often as possible, there being so many complex problems facing the film industry. According to the SFM’s representative on the body, Peter Adamakos, the decision to meet more frequently will permit additional progress for a forum that was marked by its frankness and seeming willingness to make firm decisions as far as its unfortunately limited mandate permits. Members are reminded to forward their membership renewals ($15 per year) as soon as possible. Finally, members are also reminded that the many magazines, reports, briefs, etc that the Society receives in the course of the year are made available without charge. Members from, or visiting Montreal should call (514) 844-8828 to arrange their visits. CO Cinema Canada 69