An additional $57.5 million provided for in the last provincial budget will make it possible to renew assistance for box office and audiovisual production, two measures deemed essential by the cultural sector. These amounts are intended to “consolidate” the community, says the Minister of Culture and Communications, who will present in April the details of a plan to “propel” creation from here.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
The revival of the Quebec cultural sector will be supported by an injection of 258 million over five years (including a tax credit on cultural donations), announced Quebec when tabling the provincial budget on Tuesday. Of this sum, 57.5 million will be devoted to responding to the “immediate concerns” of the community, according to the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, and take the form of a renewal of support for the broadcasting of shows and maintenance of the audiovisual production capacity put in place during the pandemic.
“There are two extremely important programs for the entire industry, for the audiovisual and the performing arts, I wanted to reassure them right away: there is 57.5 million on the table for them”, explains the minister. Nathalie Roy in interview with The Press.
The money is there for a [autre] year, until March 2023.
Nathalie Roy, Minister of Culture and Communications
In response to the demand for “predictability” demanded by the industry, Quebec is allocating 25 million for the continuation of the program to maintain audiovisual production capacities, which should help to amortize the costs of sanitary measures on the sets. A sum of 32.5 million is also granted in aid for the broadcasting of shows, which the community calls aid to the box office, the operation of which will be modified in order to encourage producers and presenters to present a diversified offer.
The successive waves of cancellations and postponements mean that there is a traffic jam. “There are several productions of emerging shows, emerging shows, which do not take their place because the presenters will prefer to reschedule a more well-known value which will fill the room to 100% rather than an emerging show which fills it less,” says Nathalie Roy. The assistance will be modulated in such a way as to encourage the presentation of emerging shows and those considered more risky.
Disappointment in audiovisual
Hélène Messier, president and CEO of the Quebec Association of Media Production (AQPM), is “partially” delighted with the renewal of “essential” aid aimed at offsetting the increase in production costs linked to health measures. However, she regrets that the government does not go further.
“I confess to disappointment. We had asked the government to put in place more lasting measures to promote the audiovisual sector,” citing in particular an adjustment to the tax credits to which producers are entitled, which have not been reviewed, even if the maintenance costs labor and inflation hurt budgets. “We still feel an appetite for Quebec content, but we still have this constraint in terms of French-language budgets. »
The 25 million announced will not cover the entire year, according to the CEO of the AQPM, who would have liked a budget that “exceeds the pandemic”.
Welcome to the performing arts
“We can say that this is very good news, but there are still announcements to come that will give more details on how this money will be invested”, analyzes Nadine Medawar, director general of the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD), which hopes that the modalities will correspond to the specific needs of dance.
Michel Sabourin, president of the Association of Independent Performance Halls of Quebec (ASSIQ), also welcomes the renewal of ticketing assistance. “Basically, we wanted predictability – we have it for a year,” he notes. The sum of 32.5 million allocated to this measure alone reassures him, even if he does not yet know precisely the changes made, the details of which will be presented by the Société de développement des entreprises culturelle and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec.
The president of the ASSIQ is delighted that the places he represents are recognized.
The Minister promises that the network of private rooms and small alternative rooms will be supported. That’s a big point.
Michel Sabourin, President of the Association of Independent Performance Halls of Quebec
He is nevertheless worried about the form that the recovery will take: with the abundant supply of international artists, he wonders what place local artists will have. “The answer is in the hands of the public,” he says.
Nadine Medawar is hopeful that more “good news” will come when the Minister of Culture and Communications unveils the other phase of her recovery plan intended to “shine” and “propel” Quebec culture. “We had talked about the importance of encouraging the public to return to the theater and, according to what we hear, even if it has not yet been said, we expect it to be part of the more detailed announcements. [à venir] “, says the director general of the RQD.
Nathalie Roy promises “very promising” measures for April which will not be limited to offsetting the lasting effects of the pandemic, but which will take things further. “We stop being in reaction, and there, we are in the action”, she announces.