Montréal, July 27, 2020 — Yesterday, during the annual general assembly, Board of Directors Chairperson Émilie Dussault and CEO Pierre Moreau reviewed the activities of 2019-2020 before the members of the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC).
This review underscores the tremendous effort made by the QFTC to strengthen its relationships with the industry and develop constructive ideas and concrete proposals to meet the needs of its members. While 2019 was a very dynamic year for foreign productions and visual effects, the beginning of 2020 was marked by the postponement or cancellation of many projects due to the current health crisis.
“As I write these lines, the year 2019 already seems like ancient history. With our industry in the midst of a major health crisis, we have never, as a group, communicated and brainstormed so much about our practices and related health issues. Throughout this unprecedented episode, the QFTC and its partners have been working relentlessly to develop solutions that now allow us to imagine emerging from this health crisis alive, more mature and stronger. My sincere regards go out to the companies and their employees who have had to demonstrate considerable, much-needed resilience under these circumstances. I hope that we all enjoy an orderly, speedy recovery marked by a spirit of good will,” declared QFTC CEO Pierre Moreau.
Highlights
• Enhancement project for outside the Greater Montréal Area
In the fall of 2019, the QFTC, in consultation with film industry organizations and associations, launched a new proposal for a tax credit enhancement for filming done outside the Greater Montréal Area, granted on the basis of the number of days of non-studio filming done outside the Greater Montréal Area, and applicable based on total eligible expenses. However, it was not included in the 2020-2021 budget. Given the unanimity of the industry in this matter, the QFTC will continue its efforts to implement this measure in 2021-2022.
• Visual effects
In 2019, economic impacts reached a record high, closing at $622M, a spectacular $129M increase over the previous year ($493M). Together, the visual effects and animation sectors have generated nearly 6,000 quality, good-paying jobs over the years.
• Foreign productions
The foreign production industry ended 2019 with $360M in economic impacts, slightly below the previous year ($378M). The second half of the season was highly dynamic, as almost all of 2019’s business volume was achieved over a 35-week period, which provides a good indication of Quebec’s capacity in terms of production volume.
• The Canadian Film Commissions Network
Thanks to the Canadian Relations Support Program of the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes, the QFTC received the support needed to organize and carry out four summits across Canada in three different provinces. The goals of these meetings were, among others, to promote Canada’s competitiveness as a multi-screen production centre, to initiate dialogue and knowledge transfer among Canadian Film Commissions, and to increase the volume of business coming from the United States.
• Intellectual property
In consultation with the industry, the QFTC pursued its efforts aimed at adapting the fiscal arsenal currently available for animation and video game production in order to keep intellectual property in Quebec or bring it back to the province. Two measures related to intellectual property were announced in the Quebec government’s 2020-2021 budget.
• Impact of the COVID-19 crisis
Of course, all these results have been heavily disturbed by the current crisis. In recent weeks, the QFTC has been working on measuring the impact of this crisis on businesses, establishing return-to-work protocols with the different partners and representing the industry before committees set up by the provincial and federal governments.
New and re-elected members of the Board of Directors
The annual general assembly also allowed us to hold elections for several seats on the Board of Directors. Gilles Charland, Managing Director of AQTIS, was re-elected for the “union organization without Canadian and/or international affiliation” advisory subcommittee; and Christian Lemay, Director of Regional Affairs at IATSE Local 667, was re-elected by acclamation for the “union organization with Canadian and/or international affiliation” advisory subcommittee. The QFTC congratulates the newly elected members and is pleased to be able to count on their support for the activities of the next two years.
Guest Speakers Pamela Grant and Sandrine Gros D’Aillon, producers of The Bold Type
During the annual general assembly, Pamela Grant, Vice President of Production at NBC Universal, and Sandrine Gros D’Aillon, Executive Producer, participated in a Q and A session facilitated by Film and TV Commissioner Chanelle Routhier. This talk allowed us to find out more about American producer Pamela Grant’s experience during the filming of the 4 seasons of the series The Bold Type and one episode of the series Little America. “Quebec has become an important destination for us. The success of a series such as The Bold Type is largely due to the advantages this province offers: competitive tax incentives, talented film crews, and access to a variety of production vendors and services.We can’t wait to film other seasons of this series in a province so supportive of the film and TV industry,” explained Pamela Grant, Vice President of Production at NBC Universal.
Acknowledgements
The QFTC cordially thanks all its public and private partners, as well as its members for their support and confidence.
