Canadian Movies

I didn't realize "Up the YangZi" was Canadian (I assumed the title was a translation, well, because...) I definitely would have seen it had I known.

So, in 2006, Canadian film made up 4.1 per cent of our box office, 34.7 million bucks, according to Telefilm. French domestic is on a steep downward turn, and, although Canadian anglo films are on the up, they still only make 1.7 per cent of all box office returns. And 1.6 of that was "Men with Brooms."

Telefilm's answer? Spend more on comedy. Five or six comedies will be made a year, with Telefilm money. That's another six out of 32, the number of feature films made in Canada last year. I wonder how many docs were made, as they seem to be the medium of choice for many Canadian filmmakers. Cheap to make, I guess.

Another reason why there are so few Canadian feature films is because they never, ever make their money back. Obvious I guess. Features are expensive to make, and are almost always a loss. That's why funding agencies are a total necessity, and why Jim Shaw should go jump off a bridge, although that's the CTF. Anway. Vote with your dollar.