Things might be rocky here in the U.S., but Canada is taking strides to achieve more diversity in its entertainment industry. As CBC News reports, the CBC is launching the Breaking Barriers Film Fund, investing an initial $7.5 million dollars into the cause of diversifying creators and directors over the next three years. CBC unveiled the new initiative at a screening of “Kim’s Convenience,” Canada’s first TV sitcom led by Asian actors.
“We are striving to make a meaningful difference by supporting underrepresented creators directly and investing in their films,” said Heather Conway, CBC’s executive vice-president of English Services at the Reel Asian Film festival in Toronto. “It’s a really difficult area for people to get financing, and it’s an especially difficult area for the groups we are talking about: women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities.”
The prospective projects must be fictional, English-language feature films from a director who has had at least one feature film screened at a recognized festival.
Even if directors have made a number of films, barriers can still present themselves, particularly to women and directors of color. “That doesn’t go away even after you’ve made a film or after you achieved certain milestones that every filmmaker hopes to achieve,” said Asian Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Liao. “[A fund like this] is something that is needed for people who are at this particular stage in their careers.”
This new initiative is one of a few efforts being made in Canada. Back in June, the CBC announced that at least half of the episodes of some of its most popular scripted programs will be directed by women. Women will now make up at least half of all episode directors on “Murdoch Mysteries,” “Heartland,” “This Life,” “Baroness Von Sketch Show,” and “Workin’ Moms.”
In March, The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) announced that at least half of its productions will be helmed by women, and half of all production financing will be allotted to supporting women telling their own stories.
