Three Canadian Film Policy Frameworks
This chapter focuses on the role played by governments in Canadian film production, distribution, and exhibition. It starts by situating Canadian cinema in relation to other “middle producer” nations. Then, it characterizes Canadian film policy within three broad frameworks. The first focuses on the institutions and policy measures that supported the development of films for educational purposes. The second explores the various policies that established filmmaking in Canada as an industrial activity. The third details how films in Canada engage with policies that impact on other media in Canada, with television serving as the illustrative case. It concludes by suggesting that rather than being understood in “cultural” or “industrial” terms, Canada’s film industry should be understood as bureaucratic in nature. Thinking about Canadian cinema in this way draws attention to the day-to-day interactions between artists and the state that continue to characterize the Canadian artistic experience.