I’ve been reading with curiosity the debate back and forth on a new documentary by Leslie Iwerks called Dirty Oil. It was filmed in part here in Alberta and focuses on the Athabasca Oilsands and the economic development around getting oil out of it and the environmental concerns with doing just that. The issue around this documentary is that it applied for, qualified and received a $54,700 provincial grant from the Alberta Multimedia Development Fund. The Edmonton Journal story is here, but a lot of virtual and real ink has spilled covering this story so I’m sure you can find additional stories if you’re interested.
Partly I’m sure to make some political hay, but in part because they do not honestly feel this a particularly helpful use of tax dollars, the Wildrose Alliance is decrying this development, believing that the Government of Alberta should not be funding films that promote “anti-Alberta propaganda.” The mainstream media covering this has all but outright said that the Wildrose’s position is that the government should not give out grants based on content, and they have also implied to some extent that the government wishes it could but can’t. Actually both parties positions are much more nuanced (and better than that) but before I look at those, let’s get the basics out of the way.
We want a film industry, and a greater cultural industry in Alberta. Not only is it great for economic development – after all in most cases filmmakers would come here, drop a bunch of cash at local businesses and employ a bunch of people and then leave – a creative economy offers benefits that are harder to quantify. Businesses want to locate where there is culture to occupy their employees and families after 5:00. They also want to be a part of a community that is rich and vibrant. Business also works better in an educated community and with education comes things like plays, museums, libraries, and performances. For the most part none of that is much dispute, but what might be is the fact that this does not happen by magic. Government dollars and policy need to be devoted to making this part of economy possible.
I am not convinced that the Wildrose Alliance is interested in devoting more resources to culture in Alberta – indeed, it is hard to pin down what they would spend more money on than the current government, but they do deserve the benefit of the doubt. Their leader when not filtered by the media or her news releases (which is an entirely other story) is pretty clear. She wants a film industry but believes the best way to foster it is through tax credits rather than grants. On Twitter she pointed her 2,500 followers to look at this See Magazine article by Maurice Tougas.
I used to be a fan of tax credits. They seemed like magic. The same kind of policy magic that things like legalized gambling, marijuana decriminalization and the invisible hand are – if you do them, cool things will just happen. If you offer a tax credit for it, people will magically just start buying bus passes and take the bus to work everyday. Simple, right.
In my day job I had to look at tax credits and their impact on behaviour as opposed to grants, and not that this is at all transferable to making movies but the overall conclusion by most academics and policy wonks is that in some areas tax credits do not encourage behaviour, at least not as much as upfront grants.
When I think about movie financing (which admittedly is something I know almost nothing about) I imagine the people who back movies looking for a tax credit might not be as interested in making a movie like Dirty Oil. They probably are relatively financially savvy people who are looking to make a profit and would love to have a financial blockbuster along with a tax credit over a controversial film and a small government grant. It would seem to me the ideal system would offer both and that both would be 100% blind to the content.
That is not to say government, in particular our elected representatives, should be denied their opinion either. It would seem transparently stupid if the government were to come out and say they love that Dirty Oil is being released and encouraging discussion on Alberta’s oilsands. They don’t like it, they are spending millions of dollars countering other campaigns and the fact that this movie is coming out paid in part by the government is not a part of the communications master plan.
When I consider the responses I have heard on this topic – which range from those who support the film and believe the oilsands should be shut down to those who feel that the government should have the right to deny grants based on content to the even more bizarre government should not be funding movies regardless – the most rational seems to be that of the government itself – they don’t like the film, the film met the criteria to get a grant and they got one. Alberta’s film industry needs financial supports to survive and thrive.
But I will quickly change my mind on the government’s response if their review of the program ends with either a cut or an additional box to fill out on what the content they are funding is. As Voltaire said, “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” As long as we agree that government should support the film industry, that support needs to be blind to the content.
Post-Script: While I was thinking of this blog Avaaz.org began circulating a petition among the left in Canada to deny CRTC registration (and therefore cable funding) to the new Sun News cable channel being promoted by Kory Teneycke and Sun Media. I guess for many on the left it feels weird when the shoe is on the other foot, but I for one am just as passionate that the consideration of Sun News needs to be blind to the content of this Fox News of the North and look at whether it meets the criteria of being a cable news station.
