Canada can stimulate local cultures and economies at the grass roots by changing the way it invests in the creation and production of dramatic film and television. Instead of funneling money through a complicated maze of separate application processes that are insulated by a catch 22 system that rewards a shrinking number of “industry players” rather than the majority of serious, community minded artists, Canada can initiate a new streamlined investment process that is equitably distributed to communities across our nation. The price tag is a very affordable ninety million dollars – a fraction of our current investment in film and television drama. This amount would result in the completion of 180 original feature length movies. Some will be dramatic features and others will be series pilots depending on the wills of the communities involved. All of these productions will be owned by the communities that make them. All of the financial profit, if any, will stay in Canada. Each of these productions will stimulate their communities in vitally important ways that are imminently democratic, culturally powerful, and fiscally responsible.
I invite anyone to debate this with me in the spirit of practical innovation. Challenge these ideas. Improve them. Work with me to renew English Canadian dramatic film and television in a meaningful way that reaches beyond the confines of industrial dogma.
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