Here is a list of resources for any Canadian film enthusiast, including where to find critics groups, and organizations that actively fund Canadian cinema and television.
Awards
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television / L’Académie canadienne du cinéma et de la télévision
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is the largest non-profit professional media arts organization in Canada. With a membership of more than 3,500 emerging and established industry professionals, dedicated to developing, recognizing, celebrating, and advocating for Canadian talent in the film, television, and digital media sectors.
The Canadian Academy produces the Canadian Screen Awards, bringing together the screen-based industry annually to celebrate the country’s top talent in the film, television and digital sectors at Canadian Screen Week and the Prix Gémeaux doing the same for Quebec cinema and television.
Learn more at Academy.ca / Academie.ca
Critics Groups
Association Québécoise des critics de cinema
Formed in 1973, the organization currently presents two annual awards: the Prix Luc-Perreault for best Quebec film of the year and an award for best international film of the year. The group also sponsors awards at various Quebec film festivals, including the Fantasia Film Festival, the Saguenay International Short Film Festival, the Montreal International Documentary Festival, and the Festival du nouveau cinéma.
Learn more at AQCC.ca
Cascadian Film and Television Critics Association
Cascadia Film & Television Critics Association is a group of passionate film fans who have come together to uplift, support and grow the Pacific Northwest criticism community and to feature and promote diverse voices and talents in our home region of Cascadia of North America. The group has members on both sides of the border, with the bulk from British Columbia.
Learn more at CascadiaCritics.com
Toronto Film Critics Association
Established in 1997, the Toronto Film Critics Association is comprised of Toronto-based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary. Its members represent all major daily and weekly publications as well as various other print, broadcast, and online outlets in the city.
Learn more at TorontoFilmCritics.com
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
The Vancouver Film Critics Circle was founded in 2000. Its membership currently includes professional critics for print, radio, on-line and television who are either based in Vancouver or with Vancouver outlets. Every year, VFCC gives out a full slate of awards for both international and Canadian films.
Learn more at VancouverFilmCritics.com
Organizations
National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB/ONF produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 43,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB/ONF reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has bilingual production programs and branches in English and French, including multicultural-related documentaries.
The NFB/ONF also makes the bulk of its catalogue available to Canadians for free through its website and streaming apps.
REEL CANADA
Reel Canada is a non-profit organization based in Toronto dedicated to presenting Canadian films in Canadian schools.
The organization was conceived as a way to engage young people in Canadian arts and culture and build an audience for Canadian film by bringing those films to high school classrooms. To date, the organization has held over 1000 screenings across the country, expanding to include ESL screenings for new Canadians through its “Welcome to Canada” program and National Canadian Film Day, an event held every April since 2014.
Learn more at ReelCanada.ca
Telefilm Canada
Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm Canada is a Crown Corporation that provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry, with four regional offices in Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The corporation’s mandate is to provide support and promote all stages of screen-based content through its various funds and programs. It also fosters the commercial, cultural, and industrial success of Canadian productions, stimulates demand for those productions both at home and abroad, and administers the Canadian Media Fund.
Learn more at Telefilm.ca