The Documentary Network strengthens the role of filmmakers

  • A larger Executive Committee.
  • SARTEC becomes a full member.
  • Regular meetings with the Canada Media Fund.

The Documentary Network has been wanting to strengthen the role of filmmakers on its Executive Committee which now includes the ARRQ (Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec) as well as the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), represented by Yves Langlois and Yanick Létourneau respectively.

In the same spirit of wanting to be more involved in the Documentary Network, SARTEC (Société des Auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma), through the efforts of its executive director Yves Légaré, is now a full-fledged member of the organization.

The Documentary Network has also initiated regular meetings with the Canada Media Fund (CMF) on the measures to be adopted to protect one-off documentary film including auteur documentary and feature-length documentary. The next working session with the CMF will take place Thursday, September 2, in Montreal.

In tribute to their enthusiastic engagement with the Documentary Network, its board members have renewed the appointments of Nathalie Barton (APFTQ) as Chair, Paul Lapointe (RIDM) as Vice-Chair, and Natalie McNeil (APFC) as Treasurer.

Twelve Canadian organizations and three broadcasters are now part of the Documentary Network: Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC); Association québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS); Association des producteurs de film et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ); Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ); Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA); Directors Guild of Canada (DGC); Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC); Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA); National Film Board of Canada/ Office national du film du Canada (NFB/ONF); Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM); Société des Auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC); and Vidéographe; as well as Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/ Société Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC); Canal D (Astral Media/Les Chaînes ASTRAL); and Télé-Québec (TQ).

Established by the community of audiovisual associations under the auspices of the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) in 2003, the Documentary Network is an organization that brings together fifteen Canadian organizations. It ensures that documentary is fully engaged in its fundamental role as a defender of culture, democracy and open-minded societies. Its goal is to encourage speaking out and public debate around documentary films dealing with the issues, the dreams and the values of our society. The Documentary Network is working to put in place a documentary policy specifically aimed at improving conditions for the making and producing of documentary film and access by all audiences.

This news release is endorsed by the following Documentary Network members:

  • Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC)
  • Association québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son (AQTIS)
  • Association des producteurs de film et de télévision du Québec (APFTQ)
  • Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ)
  • Astral Media, Canal D/ Chaînes ASTRAL
  • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) / Société Radio-Canada (SRC)
  • Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) /Association canadienne des producteurs de film et de télévision (ACPFT)
  • Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) / Guilde canadienne des réalisateurs (GCR)
  • Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) / Documentaristes du Canada (DOC)
  • Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA) / Alliance des arts médiatiques indépendants (AAMI)
  • National Film Board of Canada/ Office national du film du Canada (NFB/ONF)
  • Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)
  • Société des Auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma (SARTEC)
  • Télé-Québec (TQ)
  • Vidéographe

For further information, please contact:

Nathalie Barton, Chair, Documentary Network nathaliebarton@informactionfilms.com
Nathalie Coutard, Executive Director. Documentary Network dir@obsdoc.ca