"Canadian cinema has existed within an environment where access to capital for production, to the marketplace for distribution and to theatres for exhibition has been extremely difficult. It has experienced a concurrent history of struggle against an entertainment monopoly (Hollywood) and a search for an audience that remains largely unaware of a domestic industry."
They've been kind of screwed out the door, but like the saying goes "life finds a way." The same can be said for Canada's film industry. However, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start from a little background on the country itself.
A Brief History:
The natives of the land were Inuits who travelled to the land from Asia; but as usual, Europeans soon came over and f***** all of that up. From the Vikings to the English to the French, they all attempted to claim the land at some point. The British and French had their war (nothing ever changes) and eventually the British took Canada when the war ended. However, France were permitted two islands in the Canadian border as they had already settled there. Over time these restriction lessened, leading to French culture becoming far more prominent in the country.
Despite France joining the Americans in the war for independence, Canada stayed loyal to Britain, refusing to join the 13 states that would one day be part of the USA. A new border was created between the two nations, and at the same time the population in Canada exploded in size. Over the years with discovery of gold and cheaper land in upper Canada, waves of immigrants made their way over to the country hoping to find their fortune. This is something that still happens today, as Canada has an extremely high immigration rate.
Early Days:
One of the first films produced in Canada was entitled "Living Canada." It was a series of 35 scenes that were created to encourage the British to emigrate to the country. This was the primary films produced in the country and it lasted up until the 1930's. While private film companies in Canada started to sprout up, at the same time, America moved in to use the country as a backdrop for their productions.
Between 1917-1923, there was a rise in Canadian nationalism due to the first world war. The country (similar to England, Germany and America) started to widely release newsreels about current events. This caused a mini boom in film production, spearheaded by Adanac Films who produced three feature films; one of which was the anti-Communist picture "The Great Shadow." Ernest Shipman, who had already seen great success in the US before returning to his native land, produced a film called "Back to God's Country" that took earnings of over 300% of what it took to make the film, marking it one of the first huge financial success' in Canadian film scene.
There is a sense of something blooming in the country. While Canadian cinema did not differ massively to the US in terms of style, this was paying off for the better at this time. However, this early success was not to last as all of Shipman's films did not make nearly the money the first did, and his final feature actually made a loss. This marked the end of big productions for some time.
A Brief History:
The natives of the land were Inuits who travelled to the land from Asia; but as usual, Europeans soon came over and f***** all of that up. From the Vikings to the English to the French, they all attempted to claim the land at some point. The British and French had their war (nothing ever changes) and eventually the British took Canada when the war ended. However, France were permitted two islands in the Canadian border as they had already settled there. Over time these restriction lessened, leading to French culture becoming far more prominent in the country.
Despite France joining the Americans in the war for independence, Canada stayed loyal to Britain, refusing to join the 13 states that would one day be part of the USA. A new border was created between the two nations, and at the same time the population in Canada exploded in size. Over the years with discovery of gold and cheaper land in upper Canada, waves of immigrants made their way over to the country hoping to find their fortune. This is something that still happens today, as Canada has an extremely high immigration rate.
Early Days:
One of the first films produced in Canada was entitled "Living Canada." It was a series of 35 scenes that were created to encourage the British to emigrate to the country. This was the primary films produced in the country and it lasted up until the 1930's. While private film companies in Canada started to sprout up, at the same time, America moved in to use the country as a backdrop for their productions.
Between 1917-1923, there was a rise in Canadian nationalism due to the first world war. The country (similar to England, Germany and America) started to widely release newsreels about current events. This caused a mini boom in film production, spearheaded by Adanac Films who produced three feature films; one of which was the anti-Communist picture "The Great Shadow." Ernest Shipman, who had already seen great success in the US before returning to his native land, produced a film called "Back to God's Country" that took earnings of over 300% of what it took to make the film, marking it one of the first huge financial success' in Canadian film scene.
There is a sense of something blooming in the country. While Canadian cinema did not differ massively to the US in terms of style, this was paying off for the better at this time. However, this early success was not to last as all of Shipman's films did not make nearly the money the first did, and his final feature actually made a loss. This marked the end of big productions for some time.
"Through the rest of the 1920s, production in Canada was mainly restricted to inserts for American newsreels, sponsored short films, and documentaries produced by the government motion picture bureaus and a handful of private companies. There was one brief resurgence in 1927 when private investors contributed $500,000 to produce Carry on Sergeant!, a silent drama about Canadians in the First World War, written and directed by British author and cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather. Though well received by critics, it came at the dawn of the sound era and died within weeks of its release."
After this, there was strange period of nearly total inaction when it came to Canada's film scene. The commercial industry had died, along with several distributors being shut down, the governments own motion picture bureau had fallen into disuse, and eventually closed down for a period of time. Of course there were still artists and filmmakers who attempted to keep the art form alive in the country, but noting seemed to get the movement going again.
The only notable use of film in this era cropped up in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. Newsreels were in high demand to cover the events of the conflict, and the National Film Board of Canada was created for just that reason.
The only notable use of film in this era cropped up in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. Newsreels were in high demand to cover the events of the conflict, and the National Film Board of Canada was created for just that reason.
"In 1938, the federal government commissioned Scottish filmmaker John Grierson — who had coined the term “documentary,” and had been head of the Empire Marketing Board and the General Post Office in Britain — to study the state of film production in Canada. He wrote a report that year that led to the creation of the NFB in May 1939, and was named the Board’s first film commissioner in October 1939."
It's original purpose was merely to help the distribution of war time films, but 1941 transitioned into the role of production. The National Film Board of Canada still exists today, and primarily produces documentaries, animations and occasional short films. It's a staple in the country that has survived even through films darkest eras, having won over 5000 international awards, including a dozen Academy Awards. Despite all of it's success though, the company has not become or helped others become the main distributor of films in Canada, as foreign films still control the market.
A small note; in 1928 Odeon cinemas was founded in the country, but was later sold to an organisation in England, further helping to freeze the film market in Canada.
Rising Again:
In 1947, discussion began wether America could start using Canada as a backdrop for film production again. Thanks to this and an economic boom for Canada following the war, there was a renewed interest in the art form. After several years of a resurgence of filmmaking, the government implemented a 50% capital cost allowance in order to encourage private film companies to be formed.
Many english speaking directors migrated from Canada for work. Sir Tyrone Guthrie and Sidney Furie who both directed numerous low budget films in the country began their carers in the country. However, the want for a revival in Canadian cinema simply wasn't strong enough and Sidney migrated to England in 1960, saying: "I wanted to start a Canadian Film Industry but nobody cared." A sad sentiment that would continue to live on. Canada continued to lose Canadian grown talent to England and Hollywood, due to a lack of funding and interest that kept on fluctuating. The national film board was starting to win awards for their work, but this was not nearly enough to reel in a wide audience.
However, things were about to change again. The early 1960's saw the first Canadian film to be picked up for US distribution: "The Mask." The National Film Board was still primarily focused on documentary filmmaking, were starting to really explore short film projects and animations. A number of these film focused on post-war Canada, such "Nobody Waved-Goodbye." A film about a teenager and his girlfriend who are unhappy in suburbia and try to make it out on their own. Film was used as it has nearly always been used. To represent the fears, the culture and people of the time.
There was an abandonment of low-budget films and budgets for films in Canada inflated. This back fired, as these films were reviewed poorly, starting a debate on whether Canada should have a film industry in the first place. Despite this, the start of this new era saw two commercial hits and academy award nominations. Another issue brought up was a lot of the films of this era suffered from an identity crisis. Inherently, many critics felt that the industry was moving away from what made these films Canadian over what made them go main-stream. This grew worse and worse, and with continued poor reviews for films created in this era, the box office suffered as well. By 1982, the tax shelter was reduced to 50%, marking the end of another era.
Today?:
Canada today has a string indy film scene. A great advantage the country still has access to professional crews, state-of-the-art studio space and infrastructure, tax breaks and generally lower dollar — has become a multi-billion-dollar business built over 50 years. There is still a great difficulty for these film to hit mainstream, but there is feeling that filmmakers in the country have moved past that desire.
- James cameron
- Earnest Shipman
- David Cronenberg
- Atom Egoyan
- Mack Sennet
Notable Films:
- The Great Shadow (1920)
- Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964)
- Jesus of Montreal (1989)
- Dead Ringers (1988)
- Scott Pilgrim Vs the World (2010)
- Porky's (1982)
Sources:
HISTORICA CANADA. (2013) The History of the Canadian Film Industry. [Online] Available from: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-history-of-film-in-canada/ [Accessed 10th October.]
JUST LANDED. (2015) A Summary of Canadian History. [Online] Available from: https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Canada-Guide/Culture/The-history-of-Canada [Accessed 10th October.]
Nobody Waved Goodbye. (1964) Film. Directed by Don Owen. [DVD] Canada: Columbia Pictures.
Shultz, D. (2006) Filmography of World History. Westport USA: ABC-CLIO
A small note; in 1928 Odeon cinemas was founded in the country, but was later sold to an organisation in England, further helping to freeze the film market in Canada.
Rising Again:
In 1947, discussion began wether America could start using Canada as a backdrop for film production again. Thanks to this and an economic boom for Canada following the war, there was a renewed interest in the art form. After several years of a resurgence of filmmaking, the government implemented a 50% capital cost allowance in order to encourage private film companies to be formed.
Many english speaking directors migrated from Canada for work. Sir Tyrone Guthrie and Sidney Furie who both directed numerous low budget films in the country began their carers in the country. However, the want for a revival in Canadian cinema simply wasn't strong enough and Sidney migrated to England in 1960, saying: "I wanted to start a Canadian Film Industry but nobody cared." A sad sentiment that would continue to live on. Canada continued to lose Canadian grown talent to England and Hollywood, due to a lack of funding and interest that kept on fluctuating. The national film board was starting to win awards for their work, but this was not nearly enough to reel in a wide audience.
However, things were about to change again. The early 1960's saw the first Canadian film to be picked up for US distribution: "The Mask." The National Film Board was still primarily focused on documentary filmmaking, were starting to really explore short film projects and animations. A number of these film focused on post-war Canada, such "Nobody Waved-Goodbye." A film about a teenager and his girlfriend who are unhappy in suburbia and try to make it out on their own. Film was used as it has nearly always been used. To represent the fears, the culture and people of the time.
"Production throughout Canada also began to flourish in other ways. The aesthetic advances made by the French “New Wave” led to a more “personalist” cinema, and the development of cheap, mobile 16mm cameras allowed more access to a medium that had hitherto been the preserve of a few. A number of low-budget features were produced across the country, mainly on university campuses. The Bitter Ash (1963), the first film made by Larry Kent while he was studying theatre at the University of British Columbia, created the most controversy. The sex scenes in the film turned it into an overnight sensation. Kent went on to direct two more features on the West Coast before moving to Montréal."The government continued to show support for a film industry in Canada, and by 1974 they raised the capital cost allowance for film work from 60% to 100%. Investment in Canadian production increased dramatically, as even at a loss there could potentially be profit to be made. This led to same specific rules though.
"For a film to qualify as Canadian, it had to be at least 75 minutes long, have at least one producer and two-thirds of the “above the line” creative team who were Canadian, and perform at least 75 per cent of the production and post-production services in Canada."With a risk of potential losses, it was understandable why there were so many specifics to qualify the films a "Canadian." It didn't help matters that so many of the films produced by the Canadian National Film Board were commercial failures. However, because the Americans had such a stranglehold on the theatrical marketplace in Canada, it was near impossible for a Canadian production to make a profit. Instead of discouraging this time, this gave those inside the industry "us or them" mentality and turned artistic projects to more commercial work instead.
There was an abandonment of low-budget films and budgets for films in Canada inflated. This back fired, as these films were reviewed poorly, starting a debate on whether Canada should have a film industry in the first place. Despite this, the start of this new era saw two commercial hits and academy award nominations. Another issue brought up was a lot of the films of this era suffered from an identity crisis. Inherently, many critics felt that the industry was moving away from what made these films Canadian over what made them go main-stream. This grew worse and worse, and with continued poor reviews for films created in this era, the box office suffered as well. By 1982, the tax shelter was reduced to 50%, marking the end of another era.
Today?:
Canada today has a string indy film scene. A great advantage the country still has access to professional crews, state-of-the-art studio space and infrastructure, tax breaks and generally lower dollar — has become a multi-billion-dollar business built over 50 years. There is still a great difficulty for these film to hit mainstream, but there is feeling that filmmakers in the country have moved past that desire.
"In the 1960s, no more than two or three Canadian films a year received proper distribution in the Toronto market. In 2011, more than 50 Canadian movies played the Greater Toronto Area, the largest market in the world for English-Canadian films."Notable directors:
- James cameron
- Earnest Shipman
- David Cronenberg
- Atom Egoyan
- Mack Sennet
Notable Films:
- The Great Shadow (1920)
- Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964)
- Jesus of Montreal (1989)
- Dead Ringers (1988)
- Scott Pilgrim Vs the World (2010)
- Porky's (1982)
Sources:
HISTORICA CANADA. (2013) The History of the Canadian Film Industry. [Online] Available from: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-history-of-film-in-canada/ [Accessed 10th October.]
JUST LANDED. (2015) A Summary of Canadian History. [Online] Available from: https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Canada-Guide/Culture/The-history-of-Canada [Accessed 10th October.]
Nobody Waved Goodbye. (1964) Film. Directed by Don Owen. [DVD] Canada: Columbia Pictures.
Shultz, D. (2006) Filmography of World History. Westport USA: ABC-CLIO
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