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CBC
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Is your favourite show CanCon enough? Here's why the definition of Canadian content may get a reboot
What's your favourite bit of CanCon? Maybe Schitt's Creek, which aired on CBC but also streamed on Netflix, comes to mind. Perhaps some iteration of Anne of Green Gables. Or maybe a classic David Cronenberg flick like Dead Ringers? These are all considered to be CanCon — shorthand for Canadian content, it refers to film and television productions made in Canada by Canadians. But maybe you have a favourite show like CBS's Tracker, which airs on Global TV in Canada. It's one of the most watched shows on broadcast and streaming according to the Nielsen ratings, a U.S.-based audience measurement system. It's filmed in British Columbia and employs Canadians, but it's not considered CanCon. That matters because broadcasters in this country have obligations to ensure that a minimum percentage of the content they distribute to viewers meets government CanCon requirements to ensure Canadian stories are available on Canadian TV screens or streaming devices. On-demand streaming changed the game, with global companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ dominating the market. But they haven't been held to the same CanCon standards as traditional Canadian broadcasters, and the streaming companies say it's not realistic to expect them to do so. That's not necessarily something that's on the minds of viewers when they settle into the couch and reach for the remote or the laptop. So here's what you need to know about CanCon and the challenge of getting Canadian eyes on it. I just want to watch my shows. What do I care? Canada's broadcasting regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), is at a bit of a fork in the road when it comes to CanCon. The reason there are CanCon requirements is to ensure that Canadian stories and points of view don't get drowned out by the flood of content flowing in from the U.S. "We are a small market in a big world and we sit next to a very experienced, prolific producer of content," said Dave Forget, executive director of the Directors Guild of Canada. "There should be some shelf space for the Canadian stories so that Canadians can also see themselves in their own experience." In 2023, Canada's Online Streaming Act came into effect, updating broadcasting laws to include content streaming services. It meant that foreign streaming companies would not only have to promote or recommend Canadian programming on their platforms, but streamers making $25 million or more in Canada will have to start paying five per cent of their domestic revenue to support the production of Canadian media content. The CRTC estimates that the levy would raise around $200 million a year and said the funding would be used to boost local and Indigenous broadcasting. But now the CRTC is also looking into updating what it considers to be Canadian content. "Our goal is clear: to modernize the definition of Canadian content to reflect today's reality," said Vicky Eatrides, the CRTC's CEO and chairperson, during the start of public consultations last month aimed at reviewing what exactly constitutes CanCon, and to determine whether foreign streamers should be held to the same standards as traditional broadcasters in Canada. The public hearings in Gatineau, Que., spanned two weeks and wrapped up on May 27. WATCH | Breaking down the existing definition of CanCon and how it might change: Why the definition of CanCon might get a reboot 3 days ago Duration 3:57 So, how Canadian do series and movies have to be? While many south-of-the-border movies and shows may have been filmed in Canada, with Canadian crews and talent, it's not enough to be considered CanCon in the eyes of the CRTC. First, the film or show's producer has to be Canadian. Then, there's a 10-point system for key creative roles, and six out of 10 points are needed to meet the bar to be considered CanCon. For example, if the director or writer is Canadian, that gets you two points. But, between the director and the writer, at least one must be Canadian. That also goes for the top performers; one of the two leads must be Canadian. That counts for one point each. Other crew roles such as production designer, director of photography, editor and music composer count for one point each. Other rules apply for animated productions. On top of the point system, Cancon rules state that 75 per cent of production and post-production expenses have to go to Canadians or Canadian companies. The requirements have been loosened before. The CRTC reduced the minimum number of points needed from eight to six in 2016, something the commission said would allow more films to become eligible for certain funding programs. At last month's hearings, there was talk of actually increasing the number of points needed to 15, as well as whether a requirement to reflect Canadian cultural elements should be introduced. WATCH | Why Canadian films struggle at the box office despite international acclaim: Canadian films win awards but struggle at the box office 1 year ago Duration 2:03 So, what do Netflix, Disney+ and other streamers want? Canadian broadcasters, producers — and even artists — want the foreign streaming services, primarily the big U.S. ones many Canadians use, to meet minimum CanCon requirements like they do in order to maintain broadcasting licences and qualify for subsidies. Anthony Shim, a director whose credits include the critically-acclaimed 2022 independent film Riceboy Sleeps, admits it's a challenge to balance the freedom of creativity with the need to protect Canadian artists and storytelling — a goal he says should always be top of mind. Toronto-born writer, producer and director Anthony Q. Farrell, who has worked on series including The Office, the British series The Secret Life of Boys and CTV's Shelved, says the definition of CanCon is more important than ever. "Especially in a time where we're really focusing in on buying Canadian and taking care of our national voice, I think it's important that we … use our Canadian creatives to tell our stories," said Farrell, who provided recommendations at the CRTC consultations on behalf of the Writers Guild of Canada. He agrees that streaming companies "making money off Canadians" should be putting some of their profits back into distinctly Canadian film and television production. The streaming companies, however, don't see it quite the same way. They were collectively represented at the consultations by the Motion Picture Association of Canada, which argued that they're already an integral part of Canada's film and television production sector but that they shouldn't be held to the same content requirements as traditional broadcasters. Wendy Noss, the association's president, appeared at the hearings on May 16 and said the CRTC should make changes to its CanCon policies, including reassessing the number of points required in the 41-year-old CanCon points system, as well as re-evaluating which roles qualify for points. She said that before the CRTC imposes Canadian content requirements on foreign streamers, they need to "introduce meaningful flexibility in modernizing the definition of Canadian programs." "Broadcasting policies should be straightforward, sustainable and flexible to enable global producers to do what they do best: creating entertainment for audiences at home and worldwide," said Noss. The CRTC will hold further CanCon consultation hearings at a later date. But the big streaming companies are also set to battle the CRTC in court over the implementation of the Online Streaming Act. They filed an appeal last year, after the commission ordered global online streaming services to fork over five per cent of their domestic revenues to support the production of Canadian content. WATCH | Why some Canadian content creators are upset about the Online Streaming Act:
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Guillermo del Toro curates Canadian horror movie series for TIFF
Director Guillermo del Toro speaks during a press conference for the movie 'The Shape of Water' at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, September 11, 2017. (Chris Donovan / THE CANADIAN PRESS) Director Guillermo del Toro has been tapped to curate a Canadian horror movie series for TIFF this summer. Titled 'From Rabid to Skinamarink: Canadian Movie Madness,' the showcase with TIFF Cinematheque will run from July 9 to 13 at TIFF Lightbox at 350 King St. W. The Toronto International Film Festival says del Toro's picks celebrate 'influential horror films made north of the 49th parallel, featuring iconic and boundary-pushing films by David Cronenberg, Bruce McDonald, and Vincenzo Natali.' They include include Rabid (1977), Cube (1997), Ginger Snaps (2000), Pontypool (2008), and Skinamarink (2022). Del Toro, who was born in Mexico, divides his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, and frequently takes to social media to share his love for the city. His filmography includes a number of movies filmed in the Toronto and Hamilton area – including the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water – and he runs a studio out of three adjacent apartments in the city's east-end. TIFF will also host a free, outdoor screening of The Shape of Water on July 8 at Harbourfront Centre at 235 Queens Quay W., as part of the film festival's 50th anniversary celebrations this summer.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘I always feel very much at home there': Julianne Moore gushes about Toronto
'Sirens' star gushes about her love for Toronto in an interview with CTV Your Morning's Anne-Marie Mediwake. Julianne Moore joked this week that maybe 'someday' she'll end up in Toronto, after professing her love for the city where she started her illustrious career nearly 40 years ago. 'You know, I love Toronto,' Moore told CTV Your Morning's Anne-Marie Mediwake when asked what she considers to be 'uniquely Canadian.' Moore has previously stated that she's 'practically Canadian,' and has the film and television credits to prove it. 'I've been working there for years. One of my very first jobs was in Toronto in the mid '80s,' pointing to the 1987 miniseries 'I'll Take Manhattan.' The star of the new Netflix dark comedy series 'Sirens' said that since then, she's seen an 'incredible evolution' in the city 'where it's just become so incredibly diverse and multicultural.' 'There's so much to do there and the food is excellent, and it's just a lovely place to be,' Moore said. The love affair between Canada's biggest city and the American actor has blossomed since the '80s. Moore returned to Toronto to star in Atom Egoyan's 'Chloe' in 2009 and David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' in 2014. 'Every time I've worked up there I've worked with so many talented actors and so many great crew members, and I always feel very much at home there,' she said.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘I always feel very much at home there': Julianne Moore gushes about Toronto
Actor Julianne Moore attends the premiere of "Sirens" at the Plaza Hotel on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP) Julianne Moore joked this week that maybe 'someday' she'll end up in Toronto, after professing her love for the city where she started her illustrious career nearly 40 years ago. 'You know, I love Toronto,' Moore told CTV Your Morning's Anne-Marie Mediwake when asked what she considers to be 'uniquely Canadian.' Moore has previously stated that she's 'practically Canadian,' and has the film and television credits to prove it. 'I've been working there for years. One of my very first jobs was in Toronto in the mid '80s,' pointing to the 1987 miniseries 'I'll Take Manhattan.' The star of the new Netflix dark comedy series 'Sirens' said that since then, she's seen an 'incredible evolution' in the city 'where it's just become so incredibly diverse and multicultural.' 'There's so much to do there and the food is excellent, and it's just a lovely place to be,' Moore said. The love affair between Canada's biggest city and the American actor has blossomed since the '80s. Moore returned to Toronto to star in Atom Egoyan's 'Chloe' in 2009 and David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' in 2014. 'Every time I've worked up there I've worked with so many talented actors and so many great crew members, and I always feel very much at home there,' she said.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
From $1 movies to free popcorn: The Bay Area's best movie deals
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to the summer movie season, and both chain multiplexes and indie arthouse theaters have reason to hope for their best summer since 2019. That's because the start of the pandemic is now five years in the past, practically a distant memory these days. And productions that were halted during the writers' and actors' strikes of 2023 have been completed, leading to a wealth of films in the release pipeline such as ' Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' 'Jurassic World Rebirth' and 'Superman.' All systems are go, and Bay Area theaters aren't taking any chances. From $1 movies to free popcorn, they're doing anything to lure film fans back to the cinema. Many offer steep discounted tickets on Tuesdays. Elsewhere, a diverse programming slate has led San Francisco's arthouse treasure Roxie Theater to be on pace to exceed its 2019 ticket sales, the last prepandemic year. Hits have included the Oscar-winning Israeli-Palestinian documentary ' No Other Land ' and horror master David Cronenberg 's ' The Shrouds.' There's even a 40th-anniversary 4K restoration of Akira Kurosawa's 'Ran' that opens Friday, May 23. The California Film Institute 's Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley is offering $1 classics this weekend — audience favorites such as 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981), the French charmer ' Amelie ' (2001) and Wes Anderson's ' Moonrise Kingdom ' (2012) — to celebrate the one-year anniversary since it reopened after a renovation. The following are some of the best deals in the Bay Area. Pro tip: Most deals offered by multiplexes require monthly memberships. Independent theaters tend to have lower base ticket prices, and their perks can further reduce an already comparatively budget friendly night out. Multiplexes AMC Theatres: The world's largest theater chain, already slashing tickets by 50% on Tuesdays, will add Wednesdays beginning July 9. The deal is available to all AMC Stubs members, including the free Insider tier. The highest tier, A-List, is $27.99 for up to four movies every week and a host of other perks. Cinemark's Century Cinemas: The Bay Area's most prolific chain offers ticket discounts of up to 50%, even for nonmembers of its Movie Rewards program (though members get extra perks). Alamo Drafthouse: The dinner and a movie chain might have the best monthly membership in the country: For $29.99 a month, you can see a movie a day. It pays for itself after two movies. The chain's New Mission theater in San Francisco has been open for 10 years; new theaters in Mountain View and Santa Clara open next month. Independent theaters San Francisco Roxie Theater: The Mission District treasure offers steep discounts for students and EBT/SNAP card holders, and relaunches its Roxie Kids series this summer, with children getting in for $5. East Bay Grand Lake Theatre: The Oakland movie palace offers $6 tickets all day Tuesday and $7.50 daily matinees — and that includes 70mm and 3D presentations. Also: no commercials. 'I have always believed that it cheapens the experience of going to a theater,' owner Allen Michaan said. Alameda Theatre and Cineplex: In addition to $6 Tuesdays, the Art Deco venue built in 1932, which also has live events at its Cinema Grill, is bringing back its Kids Summer Series on Wednesdays beginning June 11. The Chabot: The 75-year-old Castro Valley gem is the only independent, single-screen theater offering first-run films within the East Bay. It has $6 Tuesdays and often offers a free popcorn or drink size upgrade for guests who come dressed in theme with the movie. For example, if ticket buyers wear floral prints to screenings of 'Lilo & Stitch' during its run beginning Thursday, May 22, a medium popcorn becomes a large, and the normal free refills for large popcorns apply. North Bay Lark Theater: The single-screen Larkspur Art Deco venue has among the most interesting programming in the Bay Area, with an eclectic mix of first-run and classic cinema. The first movie of each day as well as Friday and Saturday late-night classics are $7 per ticket and includes free popcorn. South Bay/Peninsula
