Happy 50^th Birthday Telefilm Canada! 

Fifty years ago today, the Canadian Government passed legislation creating the Canadian Film Development Corporation (now Telefilm Canada) in order to provide public support for Canadian filmmakers. Over that time Telefilm has continued to evolve, adding television production, feature film marketing and distribution, Digital Media, Treaty Coproduction certification and the administration of the Canada Media Fund programs to its range of activities fostering the growth of Canada’s audio-visual sector.

We are also grateful for the important contribution of Directors Guild of Canada pioneers including Syd Banks, Richard Ballantine, Robert Barclay, George Gorman, Lee Gordon, Don Haldane, and Peter Pearson, who among others in the early 1960s recognized the important need to build a robust industry infrastructure in order to protect the rights and advance the careers of Canadian filmmakers. Their advocacy on behalf of filmmakers was a crucial component of the government’s decision, and the Guild takes great pride in its contribution to the creation and ongoing success of Telefilm Canada.