In order to create a more equitable film industry, on December 14, 2021, Telefilm Canada shared information on its newest phase of data collection enhancements.
Christa Dickenson, Telefilm Canada’s Executive Director and CEO, is quoted:
“Telefilm’s next phase in data collection will work to bring greater insight into Canada’s audiovisual industry, and help us learn more about our film community, their projects, and their needs. We will be able to capture a more accurate portrait of our project pipeline, and address communities that need additional support, training, mentorship and more.”
Data will be collected from directors, writers, producers, co-producers, and executive producers on a voluntary basis and will cover Indigenous identity, racial and ethnic identity, gender identity and expression, belonging to an 2SLGBTQIA+ community, disability status, and belonging to an Official Language Minority Community.
Note that this self-provided “information will be used in evaluation of the creative material, review of the community engagement plan, as well as to evaluate eligibility to certain specific streams.”
Find more details here: Data Collection
For Telefilm’s diversity objectives and identity definitions, see page 7 of the Essential Information Guide
Find a sample survey here: https://telefilm.ca/wp-content/uploads/telefilm-canada-self-identification-questionnaire-december-2021.pdf
The new Self-Identification Questionnaire will be available on January 4, 2022.
Telefilm has done a great job with gender parity over the last five years. See its Gender Action Parity Plan and 2020-2021 results. See its Equity and Representation Action Plan and June 2021 presentation.
My take: with gender parity, we knew the goal was 50/50, or something close to that. But what are the goals for diversity and inclusivity? From Statistics Canada: “Canada is an increasingly diverse country — data from the 2016 Census indicated that 22.3% of the population were designated as belonging to one or more visible minority groups. Through population projections from 2017, Statistics Canada projects that this percentage would rise to between 31.2% and 35.9% by 2036.” So my guesstimate is that Telefilm’s goal would be 1 in 3.
Members of the BC Disability Caucus condemned Telefilm repeated for their non-adherence to their so-called diversity. I am one of many who complained about this issue. When CineVic backed my project in 2018, Telefilm did not. The Director of my project tried repeatedly for almost two months tried to get ahold of someone who could give information on why we were turned down. When he finally did, he was told that I was “the weakest link.” When the Director attempted ask “Why?” The Telefilm woman on the phone immediately hung up. Don’t ever think that Canada is an exemplary nation on OECD ratings. It is one of the lowest in the world when it comes to employment, housing, grants, and more for its disabled citizens. I experienced ableist attitudes from others first hand all my life. So has one other disabled filmmaker who was told the same thing – “the weakest link.” Telefilm does not know that we know each other. 😉 And Telefilm is regarded as one of the most ableist grant-giving entities by disabled filmmakers. The laws of C-18 (Canada Accessible Act) are not to be mandatory until 2040. Would I try submitting a project to Telefilm again when the reason for turning down our project was that I was “the weakest link”? We have a very long way to go. Wake up.