4- Sunday, May 8, 1988 - North Shore News

THE CANADIAN film industry, _pereunial wallflower at
the ongoing dance of the Hollywood movie syndrome,
seems hopelessly in disarray at the moment. , /

Telefilm Canada, the major
source of funding, is literally a
" giant chicken with no head, its:
current Tory-appointed boss ex-i
iting | bathed less in glory than i ig-
“nominy.
This would be a matter of little
more than academic interest if it’
weren't for the fact that without

Telefilm money there would simply:

be no Canadian Movies at all.

None. *

Well, okay, I? 11 qualify that:.

. some lonely idealistic independent
producer willing to mortgage his
house might. get. something going
here and there, but.only by going
the time-honored martyr’s route of
certain economic self-destruction.

You have to understand that

‘prior to 1967, there was virtually

no film industry. in Canada. A few;

flicks got made but they never Bot ;
- ‘distributed.
“Ifa Canadian wanted to make a
movie, he went to California‘or yf

New York. This wasn't because he |

. lackeda potential market in,

* Caneda, i it was’ ‘primarily because
« there was no'pool of i investment
~ capital available at home to ii:
“nance so horrendously expensive

oy Development Corporation’ w
“yp.to develop a Canadias moti

_. -pleture industry. Since shen,’ ‘over! a.
billion’ dollars has beer! pumped foe

. t
tion money, heaps the local tax
scam,

Behind the sc¢nes, there was one

_ , positive aspect to it, of course:
: great technical crews got trained.

‘ Since then, American

moviemakers} interest in Canada
‘has been kepi alive — apart from
': the excellent‘crews — by the ex-

change rate/ As the Canadian
dollar rises; ‘they get more skittish ?
every day-,j

It is in, the shifting intertidal ,
zone of the difference between a

Canuck, lick and a good old’ Yan-

kee dollar that the modern’Cana-. .
dian film industry clings to life as
tenacigusly as a crustacean
hunkering amid the barnacled

‘ rocks;

Orie of the reasons remains the
ctertial unknowableness of what”
F ing new policy directions the
ma darins in Ottawa tight come
up, ‘with next and how far removed
from teality they might be.

A Apa 1 from that, there i is
anot er harsh fact of economic life

. everywhere and anywhere in the

world: people tend to fry the gold.
Everywhere ih Canada — as

‘. elsewhere — prices for all sorts of .

film-related rental equipment haye.
gone up astronomically in the bast,
couple of 5 years, boosting the cost

of making movies, regardless of

your, nationality. .
Distributors i in Canada are ter
rified that the free trade deal wjll

‘=, mean total dominance of the film

distribution business in Canada’ by/:

“athe Americans, which wouldin-

‘deed Meposit us on th : ‘continen- :

talist beach where we started out.

Of course, the background is
that the Canadian film industry ,
has always been at least 98 per cent
dominated by the Yanks anyway |
-- part of ade facto North
American free trade zone.

Except for the billion-plus
pumped into the industry by
Telefilm, there would basically still,
not be a pool of investment capital

available. Oh, more than back be- +

fore the ’60s, but barely any com-
pared with the rising cost of mak:
ing a movic.

In the United States it has
mounted to $16 million for a typi-
cal movie. Consider the implica-|
tions for Canadian filmmakers for
whom the rule of thumb is that jf
your movic costs more than.$2.5
million, you have to go out of the
cguntry to finance it. That's with

_ 49 per cent of your initial costs

covered by Telefilm. ;

We take it for granted that hun-
dreds if-not thousands of new ©
movies are made every year on
Planct Earth, spewed forth by

" gargantuan movie-grinding

machines. !1's the Golden Age of
cinema, for sure.’ |!

“But the costs of this most potent’

and delicious of all artistic media
are reaching. staggering propor-

.Gons where, once again, only’

gigantic ‘American conglomerates
can afford’to play in the game. If
you can’t. pay, you can't play.)
Canada's film-making curse so’
far hasn't: been 40 much that we
were overwhelmed by American :

" culture so much as that we were

simply 100 poor, and may just. be
beggaring ourselves again.

‘But stay tuned, beaver | types:
This movic ain't over yet @:

f

ollr customers.
‘better. we are .
“now OPEN ©

.; yourself. worrying, anxious. or
: upset?. Restless?. Don't: sleep»:

“4. Negative Expectations of’:

m CANADIAN F
Zin, CLOSET
SHOPS

ray -

Oh'what a feeling!

FOR SENIORS |
"ON: TUESDAY |

FURNITURE of po’,
Solas, Sofa Beds, Lovesaats. Chairs ot all ‘kinds, Ottomans, Recliners.
_ Chaise Lounges, Dining and Bedroom and Occasional Tables.
Wall Units, Curio and Entertainment Cabinets, -;
Mattress and Box Springs — Al sizes, Lamps, Pictures, Table Covers,
Plant Stands. Mirrors, Crystal Chandeliers, and all other .
‘Accessories, Drapes and sree Carers. :

SERVICES ih ;
Recovering: All uphotstered furniture, inateriats and labor.
\ Repair any broken furniture. ‘
‘ Refinishing: All hardwood furniture.
French polishing alt tops ot furniture. ;
Interon Desig 2 hours. No Charge. ». '
ay Wes tot
DRAPES ©
_ Atterationa, Rlepaking and Hanging present Drapes,
New. Drapes - including all labor: :
Retrame or fame any pictures to suit'decor, '

= las

THOMASVILLE GALLERY
435-5566,

yf

these are: wypial thinking e@r-
rors | which’ will: make, the
elimination of any problem far
“tore difficult. Overeating,

- Feeling biue? Can't quit. :
smoking: ‘or cut’ out. the |
snacking?. Do. you ‘find

well?" Stress. could . be, the’
problem.)

“* Stress often shows up'in our
thoughts and attitudes. Use the’:
short checklist below to see if,
‘you | are developing” un-
‘necessary stress. Note those
that’ pertain’ to you, ae

1: “Negative Opinion of,
Yourself

2, Selt- “Criticism and

| Self-Blame
‘Negative Interpretation, of

I ate you to caller conn
Hation with no charge'o

hh

oithe Future foo
“My Responsibilities are
Overwhelming’. *\: 4
“6. Exaggerated?» :
7. . Qvergeneralize?

Plead rl the fiekd uf
ceed, copa connection fi