Canadian Films

Toronto, ON - A poll conducted by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) shows that three-quarters (73%) of Canadians cannot name a Canadian film that they have seen in the theatre in the past year. However, six in ten (60%) would be more likely to see a Canadian film if more films played in their local theatre that were identifiably Canadian. For the purposes of this research, a Canadian film was defined as "a film that tells a Canadian story, using Canadian actors and is set in Canada."

These are the findings of an Angus Reid poll conducted between August 17th and August 24th, 2000. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,500 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Three-Quarters (73%) of Canadians Cannot Name a Canadian Film that they Have Seen in the Theatre in the Past Year

On an open-ended basis, three-quarters (73%) of Canadians cannot name a Canadian film that they have seen in the theatre in the past year. Meanwhile, one-quarter (27%) were able to name a film.

• Quebecers (48%) are significantly less likely than other Canadians (82%) to say they haven't seen a Canadian film in the theatre in the past year.
• Younger Canadians (68%) are less likely than middle aged (74%) and older Canadians (78%) to say they have not seen a Canadian film in the last year.

Of those who have seen a Canadian film, the top five films mentioned are:

• Les Boys I/ Les Boys II - 13%
• La Vie Apres L'amour - 10%
• Elvis Gratton/ Elvis Gratton - 8%
• The red Violin - 7%
• The Sweet Hereafter - 5%

Six in Ten (60%) Would be Likely to See a Canadian Film if More Films Played in Their Local Theatre that were Identifiably Canadian

Six in ten Canadians (60%) say that they would be more likely to see at least one Canadian film next year if "more films were played in [their] local theatre that were identifiably Canadian, that is, telling Canadian stories, set in Canadian locations, and starring Canadian actors."

• Younger Canadians (69%) are more likely than middle aged (59%) or older Canadians (50%) to say they would be likely to see a Canadian film next year.
• Women (62%) are more likely than men (57%) to say they would be likely to see a Canadian film.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900