Back to all

Canadian film needs Canadian cinemas

Back to all

Canadian film needs Canadian cinemas

How to support Canada’s independent cinemas

  1. Executive Summary
  2. What is the independent cinema sector?
  3. Canadian film needs Canadian cinemas
  4. The shift back to theatrical
  5. What independent cinemas bring to Canadian communities
  6. Independents need support with: Cineplex and ‘zones’
  7. Independents need support with: ‘Clean runs’ from studios
  8. Independents need support with: Capacity to grow
  9. Act now: Write a letter to support your favourite independent cinema!

Robert K Barrett

Canadian filmmaker

As a Canadian filmmaker, my role is to tell Canadian stories. Local cinemas are critical to my story reaching audiences in theatres right across this country. When my documentary Trophy Town completed production, it was local cinemas who embraced the film, resulting in sold out screenings, which gained attention by the press, which in turn got the attention of broadcasters and a television deal.

Independent cinemas are critical to support and build audience for Canadian film.

In 2021-2, Telefilm spent $95.4m in support of the Canadian AV industry on the production side, ensuring Canadians can share their stories on screen. Telefilm’s support of Canadian filmmakers and homegrown talent, especially with an eye to equity, is crucial to a thriving national culture. (Source: Telefilm 2021-22 Annual Report)

In the face of a very dominant Hollywood, purposefully carving out space for Canadian stories is vital.

Cinéma du Musée, Montréal, QC

Dan Montgomery

MDFF, Toronto-based producer and distributor

As a Canadian production and distribution company championing uniquely regional voices, it’s vital that we continue building out relationships with cinemas across the country. It is these spaces, with their committed and curious audiences, that we’ll continue to both find and build our audiences for years to come.

Once the films are produced, how are we ensuring that they are seen by Canadians? Across the country, audiences trust their local cinemas to introduce them to movies they will love. The broader shift back to theatrical supports this claim.

To match the investment made in Canadian film production and ensure that the films are being seen, Canadian independent cinemas need support:

The Westdale, Hamilton, ON

Warren P. Sonoda

Canadian filmmaker and president of the Directors Guild of Canada

Thank you THANK YOU Westdale! Pretty damn close to a sell-out—certainly PACKED and people ready to rock to our cello/crime/caper film. It meant the world to us. Your whole team was phenomenal—everyone was A++++. Thanks for such a memorable night! Our whole team felt so cared for, and the Aoki boys are on cloud 12+. Can’t wait to make a new movie so I can premiere at the Westdale again.

There is a perception that Canadian stories have some inherent limiting factor in gaining audience. However, one only needs to look to the previous year to see a strong counter-example: The Toronto-set, Chinese-Canadian coming-of-age film Turning Red was the top streamed movie in 2022. (Source: NBC News, ‘Turning Red’ was top streaming movie in both minority and white households in 2022, report finds)

Hay River Film Society, Hay River, NWT

The past few years are largely unreliable indicators of potential box office success, because of COVID-related closures and audience hesitancy in returning to the cinema. However, 2021 brought the highest proportion of Canadian films in domestic box office in the past decade. The below numbers are from Profile 2021: Economic Report on the Screen-Based Media Production Industry in Canada:

  • In the French-language market, Canadian films’ box office was $10.8m, 22.0% of total box office
  • In the English-language market, Canadian films’ box office was $6.9m, 2.3% of total box office
    • $5.7m of the English-language market box office is credited to PAW Patrol: The Movie

There is room for Canadian film, especially English-language Canadian film, to grow in prominence in independent cinemas. With barriers removed and independent cinemas supported, the audience and star system around Canadian film will be able to grow in a self-reinforcing manner.

Instead of a collection on a massive streaming library dedicated to “Canadian film,” independent cinemas do the bespoke work of programming Canadian film screenings in ways that will reach local audience with context. 

Ken Hegan

Canadian filmmaker

The Kamloops Film Society, Kamloops Film Festival, and the Paramount Theatre are an incredible team and benefit independent filmmakers like myself. They teamed up to debut my first feature film, Outrunners, this month and it was a huge success. Thanks to their opening night gala, 400+ locals became immediate fans and supporters and ambassadors of my feature. Their beautifully planned gala screening was the perfect launch and world premiere of my film and I’m able to use the red carpet and Q&A photos and videos to promote my film to distributors to help me sell it around the world. This was a truly once in a lifetime event that was entirely made possible by this independent cinema. Thank you!!


How to support Canada’s independent cinemas

  1. Executive Summary
  2. What is the independent cinema sector?
  3. Canadian film needs Canadian cinemas
  4. The shift back to theatrical
  5. What independent cinemas bring to Canadian communities
  6. Independents need support with: Cineplex and ‘zones’
  7. Independents need support with: ‘Clean runs’ from studios
  8. Independents need support with: Capacity to grow
  9. Act now: Write a letter to support your favourite independent cinema!
NICE
NICE

More from NICE