Canadian Film Essay
... is one unless they sit patiently through the end credits and discover that the frequently American-looking and sounding film they have just seen was in fact Canadian. Think about an American Film, how many times can we see a flag in two damn hours. They are very proud of saying "I am going down to Miami for the weekend." Or "I am from New York." but in Canadian films do we ever hear "I am from Alberta." Or "I am going down to Vancouver to go ski?" Of all new releases currently in the video store or in theatres, it's difficult to think of one Canadian film that's being distributed widely and can consistently be found in a theatre or on the shelves. However, this isn't an indication that Canadian films are not deserving of more attention, but that we are overrun by flashy, high-budget, and readily-available films from south of the border. What makes a film Canadian? What is distinctive about Canadian films? Who are the agencies promoting the production of Canadian films? These questions are the first that came to me when I was preparing to write this article, they're pretty important questions. But...this is merely an introduction to some of the issues of filmmaking here in our huge and very diverse country; there are many answers to each of these questions. My purpose here is to suggest a few things to think about further. Canadian films are important to me because the best of them tell stories about what life is like as a Canadian. These stories often reflections of things happen in our lives or things we wish would happen in our lives. They often tell stories quite different from Hollywood's continuing narrative about what life is like as a North American (although there is a great range of diversity among American films, too). Canadian cinema is distinct from most Hollywood films because they don't have huge budgets, famous actors, and major media exposure. They are also distinct from most American independent films because they have a much smaller audience which greatly influences the costs involved in production. In economics, they call this concept, "economy of scale"; however, in economics, economies of scale are usually referred to as a good thing. For Canadian filmmakers and filmgoers, this is not necessarily true. Canadian films and filmmakers face a number of challenges (which isn't too hard to figure out when you consider how many big budget American films are around). Accordingly, the Government of Canada has established two major agencies to aid film projects undertaken in Canada, by Canadians: The National Film Board and Telefilm Canada are both involved in the production of films with distinctly Canadian content. The National Film Board, was formed in 1939 by an Act of Parliament to initiate and promote the production and distribution of films "in the national interest." For the most part, films made in the "national interest" are meant to express Canadian experience f...