Cinema Canada
Encyclopedia
Cinema Canada is a defunct Canadian film magazine, which served as the trade journal of record for the Canadian film and television sector. The magazine had its origins in the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which began publishing a bi-monthly newsletter under the name Canadian Cinematography in 1962. In 1967, the publication's name was changed to Cinema Canada. In 1972, the CSC approached George Csaba Koller and Phillip McPhedran of Toronto to produce a glossier format. However, this association lasted only four issues, after which McPhedran resigned for personal reaasons.
Koller continued to edit and publish the magazine, which became independent of the CSC in the fall of 1973. It was scrappy, provocative and ashamedly nationalistic. In March 1975, a non-profit organization, the Cinema Canada Foundation, was formed, and in September of that year it was transferredto Jean-Pierre Tadros and Connie Tadros , who moved the editorial office to Montreal while maintaining a Toronto office. Jean-Pierre had been the film critic for Le Devoir and editor of Cinema Quebec and had been a contributor to Cinema Canada. At first it was published 10 times a years, then it went monthly until its last issue in 1989. In all, there were 169 issues published over the span of 18 years.
A home for Canadian nationalists and cinema activists in the 1970s, Cinema Canada became the voice for The Council of Canadian Filmmakers, a lobby group of filmmakers and industry professionals campaigning for a quota for Canadian movies in the American-owned theatres. The Toronto office became a hub for the emerging Toronto New Wave in the 1980s, and Bruce McDonald edited Cinema Canada’s “Outlaw” issue in the fall of 1988. Toronto’s staff included, at one time or another, Tom Perlmutter
(future National Film Board of Canada
Commissioner), John Harkness (influential film critic for Now
weekly), Cameron Bailey (future Toronto International Film Festival
co-director) and Wyndham Wise
, who would go on to publish and edit Take One: Film and Television in Canada (1992–2006).
The impending GST and removal of postal subsidies in 1991 were the official reasons given when the magazine folded. The underlying truth, however, was that Cinema Canada had lost its reason for being. The production climate in Canada had changed considerably from the days in the early 1970s, and the magazine eventually lost its constituency.
Cinema Canada provides a unique and rich historical resource for scholars of Canadian cinema and the original documents and papers are held as a special collection in TIFF’s Film Reference Library in Toronto.
Koller continued to edit and publish the magazine, which became independent of the CSC in the fall of 1973. It was scrappy, provocative and ashamedly nationalistic. In March 1975, a non-profit organization, the Cinema Canada Foundation, was formed, and in September of that year it was transferredto Jean-Pierre Tadros and Connie Tadros , who moved the editorial office to Montreal while maintaining a Toronto office. Jean-Pierre had been the film critic for Le Devoir and editor of Cinema Quebec and had been a contributor to Cinema Canada. At first it was published 10 times a years, then it went monthly until its last issue in 1989. In all, there were 169 issues published over the span of 18 years.
A home for Canadian nationalists and cinema activists in the 1970s, Cinema Canada became the voice for The Council of Canadian Filmmakers, a lobby group of filmmakers and industry professionals campaigning for a quota for Canadian movies in the American-owned theatres. The Toronto office became a hub for the emerging Toronto New Wave in the 1980s, and Bruce McDonald edited Cinema Canada’s “Outlaw” issue in the fall of 1988. Toronto’s staff included, at one time or another, Tom Perlmutter
Tom Perlmutter
Tom Perlmutter is the 15th Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. He was appointed to the post by Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda, and began serving his term on May 17, 2007...
(future National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
Commissioner), John Harkness (influential film critic for Now
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
weekly), Cameron Bailey (future Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
co-director) and Wyndham Wise
Wyndham Wise
Wyndham Wise is a Canadian film historian, critic and publisher. He founded and edited Take One: Film & Television in Canada , a Canadian magazine, which published from 1992 to 2006. Wise taught film studies at Algoma University and York University , and media writing and film studies at Sheridan...
, who would go on to publish and edit Take One: Film and Television in Canada (1992–2006).
The impending GST and removal of postal subsidies in 1991 were the official reasons given when the magazine folded. The underlying truth, however, was that Cinema Canada had lost its reason for being. The production climate in Canada had changed considerably from the days in the early 1970s, and the magazine eventually lost its constituency.
Cinema Canada provides a unique and rich historical resource for scholars of Canadian cinema and the original documents and papers are held as a special collection in TIFF’s Film Reference Library in Toronto.
External links
- Cinema Canada is available online at http://cinemacanada.athabascau.ca