Cinema Canada (Sep 1982)

— SCENE Se Producers hope fora breakthrough, take their case to the press TORONTO — For an independent filmmaker, exposure on national television or at an international film festival is a crucial step in a film’s marketing, promotion, and distribution. But for Canadian independent filmmakers Peter Williamson and Ira Levy, who produced and directed a 40-minute documentary, The Breakthrough, for Lauron Prod. Ltd. of Toronto in 1981, getting such valuable exposure for their film has been a hard and frustrating expe rience. The Breakthrough is a moving film about how three victims of cerebral palsy are able to “break through” their severe physical handicaps and communicate with the “nor mal’ world through Blissymbols, a_ pictorial language system designed to help victims of the disease. The film was selected as best overall production at the 1981 Canadian Film and Television Awards last November. ‘ The Canadian Television Network purchased the broadcast rights last year, but have yet to air the film. According to director Levy, CTV planned to use it as part of their current affairs series W5; but after waiting most of 1982 for the program to be scheduled, he and Williamson were informed by the W5 producers that The Breakthrough would not be included in the program's 198283 schedule. “They told us it was not for them, that theyd programmed it (that type of material) before,” said Levy. Then the film was rejected by the Toronto Festival of Festivals last month, though producer Williamson felt confident the festival would accept the film since it was an independently produced Canadian film which had received critical acclaim but little exposure. The film was first rejected by programmer Kay Armatage for her New Directors/New Direction series, then again on an appeal to festival director Wayne Clarkson. While Wil liamson and Levy were in Ecuador shooting a film during August, Siobhan Flanagan, script consultant on The Breakthrough, got a reply from Ar matage that the film had been rejected by the festival because it had been partially funded by a corporation (Commodore Computers) and that it was festival policy not to accept films funded by corporations. This prompted Flanagan to write a letter to Clarkson on behalf of the filmmakers, which appeared in Cinema Canada No. 87. “Kay Armatage said to me it was against the policy of the festival to show films funded by corporations,’ Flanagan told Cinema Canada. “She never suggested it (the rejection) was because of the film’s quality.” Armatage was out of town and not available forcomment, but Clarkson denied that the film was rejected because ofits funding, simply explaining that the festival “chose not to pre sent to film.” Clarkson's evaluation of the film was that it was “a unique film given its subject’ but that its approach was “not particularly inventive, rather standard.” Both Levy and Williamson say they are resigned that their film will not be screened at the Toronto festival. But’ they wonder aloud why any film should be discriminated against because of its funding, and Williamson has asked Clarkson for a written explanation of why the film was rejected. They question whether the CFTA award has any strength or validity within its own country, and ask why a film which could win the CFTA’s top award literally has not been seen in Canada. Williamson and Levy plan a private screening of The Breakthrough for industry members and the media Sept. 24, at10 :45 a.m. (Quinn Sound) to give their film some badly needed exposure. “We're not concerned with ’ the festival and its politics, just like we're not concerned with CTV and its politics, except gather support during T.0. fest TORONTO — The Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Independent Filmmakers has announced it will conduct a seminar at the 1982 Toronto Festival of Festivals in an attempt to consolidate support for their brief on the state of the film industry, re cently presented to Communications Minister Francis Fox. The seminar is a late addition to the Festival's Trade Forum and will take place September 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Embassy Room of the Hotel Plaza II. Expected members of the panel include filmmakers Stephen Zoller, Martin Harbury, Angelo Stea, Larry Moore, Sally Dundas, and Sturla Gunnarson. The Ad Hoc Committee plans to use the seminar to ask groups and individuals within the independent production sector to voice their concerns about the industry's future. The committee was formed earlier this year to give unaffiliated inde pendent filmmakers a voice in the film policy discussions currently being held by the federal government. when it comes to getting our film seen,” said Levy. Williamson feels there is a principle involved in The Breakthrough’s situation, that of proper support, for Canadian independent filmmaking in this country. “If we (independents) can’t go out and make films, if the only people who can make films are the NFB, the Arts Council, and the CBC, it is not very healthy,” he said, adding“ there are plenty of films like The Breakthrough not getting shown.” DOCUMENTARY RECORDING The best and smallest The combination of a Nagra SN recorder and a SQN mini-mixer has proven to be unbeatable for documentary sound recording in rugged terrain and under adverse conditions. recording quality: Nagra superb recording time: 40 minutes (1 mil fape) weight: 2 kilograms for a complete system, 20% of standard recorder The mixer generates a pilotone signal of 10 hz, has one line input and three mic. inputs switchable for universal powering. Each input is equipped with alternators of between 10 and 20 db as well as long frequency attenuator filters and a switchable limiter. RI/NAGRA 6467 Northam Dr. Mississauga, Ontario LAV 1/2 Toronto : (416) 677-4033 “17, September 1982Cinema Canada/1§