Joining as a Director
Membership to the Directors Guild of Canada is at the sole discretion of the DGC.
- You have a signed Director’s contract from a DGC Signatory production.
OR
- You have a Director credit for at least 75 minutes of commercially exhibited content.
For the production(s) to qualify, the following criteria must be met:
- initial commercial exhibition of the production(s) took place within the five years immediately prior to the date of application for DGC membership; and
- the production(s) must be in a genre and format defined within the DGC collective agreements.
OR
- You are an Independent Feature Filmmaker with at least one Feature Film programmed in at least two film festivals on the Academy of Canadian Cinema Recognized Festival list within the last 5 years.
AND
- You are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
**Click here for a list of recognized film festivals.
Dues
There is a one-time initiation fee of $2,500 and annual dues of $750. Annual dues can be paid all at once or quarterly ($187.50). At the time of joining, you must pay the full initiation fee plus one quarter annual dues. The remaining balance will be subject to the deadlines of the quarterly dues payment schedule.
New Member Fee: $2,500
Annual Dues: $750 (can be paid $187.50 a quarter)
Payment when joining: $2,500 + $187.50 = $2,687.50
Application
1. DGC Director Application Form
2. The Individual RRSP form and NRSP form (BOTH of which must be completed and included with the application). Membership includes becoming part of a group retirement savings plan. These forms must have the original pen and paper signature and must either be mailed or dropped off to your local DGC office. If you are incorporated, you must also complete the NRSP Corporation form. For details and information on filling these forms out correctly, please review the FOLLOWING PACKAGE. This must also have the original pen and paper signature and must either be mailed or dropped off at your local DGC office.
*For More information on the Canadian Entertainment Industry Retirement Plan (CEIRP), please check out the following links:
Information Booklet
How to Enroll
Frequently Asked Questions
For further details, you can visit the CEIRP website: https://www.ceirp.ca/en
4. DGC Health & Welfare Trust Beneficiary Form for Life Insurance – you will need to complete and return the form to us (either mailed or dropped off at our office – cannot be scanned/e-mailed). This form must have the original pen and paper signature
Please send the completed forms to your local DGC District Council office.
Payment
Once your application is approved, your payment options are:
- Online through your online banking system, by adding the Directors Guild of Canada as a payee. You will be asked for a Membership number, which can be requested by emailing membership@dgcontario.ca.
- Credit card (Visa or MasterCard) by completing the authorization form and emailing it to membership@dgcontario.ca.
- In-person: Debit, credit, cash (exact change) or cheque issued to “Directors Guild of Canada.”
- By mail: Please send a cheque to the Directors Guild of Canada
Attention: Member Services Department
65 Heward Avenue, Building A, Suite A201
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M4M 2T5
Once you are accepted into Membership, you will receive a Membership package that will include: Membership number, RRSPs contact information, and Health and Welfare benefits enrolment package. You will also receive a welcome email connecting you to the director representatives nationally and in your region.
For questions about eligibility criteria and qualifications for joining the DGC as a Director, please contact the senior manager of the National Directors Division, Hans Engel, at hengel@dgc.ca.
