The Government of Canada is currently exploring the modernization of Canada’s audiovisual support system, including the future roles of institutions such as Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board, the Canada Media Fund, and other federal supports for the screen sector.

While there is not yet a formal public consultation process, Canadian Heritage has invited DOC share our perspective as the work progresses. In response, DOC has prepared and submitted the attached brief to Minister Marc Miller and officials at Canadian Heritage.

The submission draws on discussions held during DOC’s Kitchen Table Talks at Hot Docs, subsequent consultations with our Advocacy Committee, and feedback from documentary creators across the country. Rather than advocating for a single institutional model, it outlines a set of principles and priorities that we believe should guide modernization from the perspective of Canada’s documentary community.

Among the themes explored are public-interest documentary, sustainable support for independent production companies, audience development and distribution, policy coherence, creative leadership, and opportunities to reimagine the role of the public producer in a contemporary screen ecosystem.

We expect this to be an iterative process and will continue engaging with government as discussions evolve. As always, we welcome feedback from members as we continue to advocate on behalf of Canada’s documentary sector.

Click the link below to read DOC’s full submission: