FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY HOLDS CANDIDATES TOWN HALL

Guild and unions to interview federal party representatives in virtual event

Toronto – An industry-wide bilingual event, co-hosted by the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and l’Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices du Québec (ARRQ), have invited representatives from federal parties to participate in an interview-style Town Hall discussing each party’s plan and approach to the future of the Canadian screen industry.

The event will take place on Tuesday September 7, 2021 and highlight the importance the screen-based content sector plays in politics and how each federal political party will support Canadian talent. The order of appearance is based on the current party standings in the House of Commons (Liberals, Conservatives, Bloc Québécois, NDP and Green Party) with the English-language portion of the event moderated by journalist and broadcasting executive Trina McQueen with a French-language moderator to be confirmed soon.

All members of DGC, ACTRA, ARRQ and the media are invited to attend and to submit questions in advance. A representative from each of the five major political parties will have a total of 15 minutes for opening remarks and to discuss the following pre-determined themes of the event:

• Modernizing Canada’s broadcasting legislative framework in a climate of shrinking domestic production;

• Investing in Canadian talent and Canadian voices;

• Fostering diversity, equity and inclusion; and

• Adopting sustainable production practices.