Questions from the Canada Media Fund (CMF), aimed at promoting diversity, provoked reactions from producers who found them intrusive. Since April, the Canadian organization that allocates funding to television and film productions has asked to fill out a questionnaire to find out the composition of the production teams.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
In particular, there are questions on the gender, sexual orientation, origin and disabilities (autism, deafness, etc.) of the people involved. “This document is really an intrusion into people’s private lives,” says producer and director Alexis Durand-Brault of Also Productions. We can’t go into people’s bedrooms. Sexuality is complex. Life is complicated. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alexis Durand-Brault, director, producer and co-founder of Also Productions
If I have an employee who has recently been in a relationship with a man after having been with women all his life, what does he answer? People’s sexual orientation is nobody’s business.
Alexis Durand-Brault, director, producer and co-founder of Also Productions
Producers, screenwriters, directors and other holders of key positions on set are strongly invited to fill it. “I don’t understand,” adds Ginette Guillard, independent executive producer. Some questions asked do not concern anyone. We are asked our gender, how we define ourselves. It’s inappropriate. It is a way of discriminating groups. I totally disagree. It is an intrusion into people’s lives. »
Ginette Guillard says she completed the questionnaire after insistent requests for a production. Called Persona-ID, it allows you to obtain an identification number. “To get my number, I completed it,” she said. But there are questions I have refused to answer. I have nothing to hide, but what does it concern them to know my sexual orientation? What does that have to do with the financing of a film? To favor certain groups? It’s discrimination. »
Not related to funding
The FMC denies forcing the production teams to fill out this questionnaire which, according to him, is a survey to know the composition of the teams, he says. In the interview, we repeated to The Press that it had nothing to do with the allocation of funding.
“Persona-ID is part of the FMC’s efforts to overcome diversity and inclusion challenges,” said Tamara Mariam Dawit, Vice President, Growth and Inclusion at the FMC. Its purpose is to know the composition of companies. Over the past two years, interest has been growing in this regard. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FMC
Tamara Mariam Dawit, CMF Vice President, Growth and Inclusion
We encourage you to fill it out, because it helps us draw a demographic. It’s not required, but there is value in doing it. Everyone benefits from it.
Tamara Mariam Dawit, Vice President, Growth and Inclusion, Canada Media Fund
“It’s not just a survey,” says Ginette Guillard. We have to be given a number so that producers can access their funding request. The site says: “Persona-ID was created as part of our equity and inclusion strategy to better measure and monitor demographic representation in projects submitted to the CMF and in those receiving its support. funding, and to ensure that all of Canada’s content creators participate.” »
The FMC gives respondents the choice not to answer questions deemed too personal. “Such questions were established after consultation with several communities,” says Tamara Mariam Dawit.
To find out who makes up the middle
The Fund looks forward to eventually collecting data that will make it possible to know who accesses its programs and who makes up the community. On the producers’ side, we wonder what exactly will happen with these future data and to what extent they will influence future productions.
“It’s still not very clear how the FMC will use them,” says Antonello Cozzolino, producer at Attraction, who admits he felt no pressure to complete the questionnaire. Will this have an impact on our projects? Eventually there will be a plan. We’ll see ! »
The FMC admits to going ahead with the survey with the aim of diversifying the composition of the production teams. “It’s not in order to put people aside, but to include people”, sums up Tamara Mariam Dawit.
“The integration of cultural and Aboriginal communities is essential to save cultures,” says Alexis Durand-Brault. But there, we get involved in the sexual and private life of people. It is unacceptable. »
PHOTO ANDRÉ PICHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Nicola Merola, President of Pixcom Productions
Nicola Merola, president of Pixcom Productions, agrees. “It’s shameful, the too few female directors in Quebec who have worked for television in the past five years, for example,” he says. That the institutions force us to hire people from minorities and women is therefore very positive. But, here, we go a little far in the collection of data to do… I don’t know what. I presume there will eventually be funding tied to the hiring of minorities and women. »