Cinema Canada (Dec 1981)

——— Ls KAaa606DmDmDmD™”™”CSC™C™C™~C~C~S Technical realities forcing political hand .....,.» Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission has announced its intention to appeal the decision. A County Court judge in British Columbia also dismissed the Crown's appeal of an earlier decision acquiting Lougheed Village Holdings Ltd. of operating an illegal earth station at its 760-unit apartment complex in Burnaby. The Court decided that the Crown failed to prove that satellite signals constitute radio communication as defined under the Broadcasting and Radio Acts. Communications analyst Sandra Gathercole said the Cornerbrook and Burnaby decisions were crucial factors leading to the government's change of attitude concerning satellite signal reception. She said the law has simply acknowledged the technical reality. “Since there is no longer a technical barrier to receiving these signals, they (the government) are removing the legal barrier,” Gathercole said. Gathercole also said that while the CRTC would no longer be able to regulate the reception of satellite television signals under an open skies policy, their remaining control point would be retransmission Budget presents THE WORLD premiere of “KINGS OF THE ROAD” of the satellite signals and the delivery point of that signal into the home, if it were through cable. Paul Audley, head of the Tele-Canada application for a Canadian pay-TV license, expressed apprehension of the proposed federal move to permit the private use of earth stations by individuals, fearing that it would only be a matter of time before the cable companies demanded their right to receive and retransmit satellite TV signals. Once the Canadian cable companies start receiving and retransmitting signals directly from the U.S., said Audly, they effectively would be under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission, not the CRTC. Under the terms of a 1972 Intergovernmental Agreement between Canada and the U.S., both nations agreed that neither would, except on an incidental and periferal basis, beam any satellite signals across the border without the prior consent of the other government. But recently the FCC has granted several U.S. carriers the right to provide trans-border satellite services, including transmission of TV signals, conditional on the subsequent approval of the Canadian government. Canada was not consulted in advance of the FCC decision, but now appears ready to officially allow the signals into the country. David opens US office ....,.. recoup on both issues,” Desmarais said. The restructuring of Filmplan in 1981 was made necessary when Geoffrion, Leclerc declined to handle the public issue for Dreamworld and Videodrome, Larry Nesis of Steadford Securities Ltd. is handling the most. recent package, a $9 million offering involving a 100% share of STARRING Budget Hy-Cubes Budget 16, 18 & 20 feet trucks Dreamworld and a 50% share of Videodrome. MCA Theatricals Inc., an affiliate of Universal, is retaining a 50% interest in Videodrome, and has advanced $2,771,950 of the film’s total budget of $5,951,805. The budget for Dreamworld _ is $5,820,145. By mid-November, David announced that $$2.5 million of the current issue had already been sold. CO-STARRING A complete range of Budget vehicles. CFI loses key stati in dispute OTTAWA — Five employees of the Canadian Film Institute have tendered their resignations over objections to the manner in which the CFI was being administered. The resignations were accepted by the management. Piers Handling, associate director of the CFI and spokesman for the group (which also includes the director of the National Film Theatre in Ot tawa, the regional coordinator and the editor of Film Canadiana) called for a public invesligation of the CFI, claiming that the board of directors is now “‘self-elected” and that “no annual meeting of members was held in 1980.” Stating that the 1981 members’ meeting was held “in secret,” Handling wonders “Who is the Institute's management accountable to ?” The CFI’s total budget is $515,000 of which $360,000 come from federal and provincial agencies. It is the feeling of those resigning that the CFI has abandoned its cultural mandate. Meanwhile, on Oct. 23, the CFI, which has been plagued with financial difficulties, announced new orientations for 1982. “Information services will be rationalized... to in clude continuous updating and computerization of data.” Also, the CFI plans to establish anew Documentary Film Festival in 1983 to complement the International Animation Festival currently being run every other year. Plans for building an Omnimax Imax theatre in the capital are also in the works. : Distributors furious TORONTO — Canadian distributors are irate about the new valuation rates, effective Nov.4, established by the Customs and Excise Division of the Department of Revenue. The new valuation rates do not affect the duty on films coming over the border, but will affect the sales tax due on imported films The new rates changes are as follows : super 8 film, 8 cents a foot; 16mm, hiked from 8 to 10.5 cents ; 35mm from 3 to 15.5 cents ; and 70mm from 3 to 53 cents. These important increases come when independent distributors in Canada are already fighting for their lives and American majors’ increase their domination of the Canadian market. INTRODUCING Budget Mobile Homes Budget Custom Campers Budget Vans Budget Cadillacs tor inturmation write to: Budget Kent -A-Car co Mr Steve Kobins Osit Michel-dasinm, Montreal, Que. H9P 1C5 or phone (514) 636-079 Telex #05 820-677 4/Cinema Canada/December 61-January 62