Distribute This!

I read in the paper where Paul Gross, David Cronenberg and friends are upset that the distribution arm of Alliance Atlantis is selling itself to an American company (with a Canadian partner doing the Canadian rubber stamping, of course).

If it goes through, the millions and millions of dollars that the taxpayers of this country (that's ...some of you) will have been spent for naught. The money was paid out to promote Canadian films. That will end.

But why all this fuss over a distributor? What do they do? Well, they are an integrel cog in the motion picture industry in this and other countries.

Although, complex, I'll try and simplify it. Basically, when a motion picture is "produced" in Hollywood, it has to be transported to the actual movie theatre; it doesn't just get dropped off by courier! (duh!). So when "Live Long or Die Harder" is "released", the "studio" sends the actual "film" to a "distributor", who receives it and then "couriers" it to the actual movie theatres across Canada.

Naturally this service dictates a fee (40% of the gross?). And since Alliance Atlantis knows all the street addresses of the movie theatres in Canada they are the main distributor for this country.

Oh, and they also promote (P & A) the film in Canada, because "Live Free or Die Harder" would be shown to empty seats in this country if somebody didn't tell the public it was playing.

I remember Michael MacMillan coming to Halifax years ago earestly explaining to the concerned production community, that the takeover of Salter Street Films would not be an abandonment of production in the city. Rumours were rife that they had purchased Salter Street only to acquire the IFC but he denied this and Michael Donovan to this day denies thats what it was about.

Alliance Atlantis wanted to buy Salter Street because of it's library (Do old Codco's have an aftermarket?) and its current production slate e.g. 22 Minutes, Poko (in development at the time).

So the sale went through and Alliance Atlantis did maintain a presence in town, the IFC has one employee with a phone. They sold all the buildings Salter Street owned and threw Poko and 22 Minutes back to Michael Donovan.

So, let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt, ....again.

As a BTW, my 1000 shares of DHX (Halifax Film Company) is down to $1.38/share. They were acquired at $1.40/share. (1000 x .02 = $20) Not much I know but if it were up the same amount I would be happier.