The underfunding of local productions threatens Francophone culture and the safety of workers, deplores Section 514 of the Quebec Association of Image and Sound Technicians, in the wake of the provincial budget.
“By failing to increase the funds devoted to the development of the local audiovisual industry, [le gouvernement] is depriving itself of one of the main tools for disseminating our language and our culture”, specifies Christian Lemay, president of AQTIS 514 IATSE.
This underfunding also has an impact on the health and safety of workers, adds the union, since it imposes filming rates “which are not sustainable and promote the development of precariousness”. He also deplores the lack of effort devoted to making conditions more favorable to foreign shoots in Quebec.
The AQTIS 514 IATSE brings together approximately 8,000 freelance professionals practicing 200 different professions related to audiovisual production, from design to post-production.