A Chronology of Canadian Film and Television.

An Excerpt from Take One's Essential Guide To Canadian Film

In conjunction with Take One's 10th anniversary, the University of Toronto Press is publishing Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film, the most exhaustive and up--to--date reference book on Canadian film and filmmakers, combining 700 reviews and biographical listings with a detailed chronology of major events in Canadian film and television history. Complied by myself, with a foreward by director Patricia Rozema, this is the only reference book of its kind published in English. Wyndham Wise

Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film had its genesis in an issue I put together in the summer of 1996 for Take One's celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian cinema. This issue featured 100 of the most famous Canadians to have made a living in film, whether at home, in Hollywood or abroad; it engendered a shock of recognition. From the stars of silent movies, such as Walter Huston, Mary Pickford, Norma Shearer, Fay Wray and Marie Dressier, to our current crop of star directors, including Rozema, Robert Lepage, Guy Maddin, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Denys Arcand, Canadians have made an important, but largely unrecorded contribution to the history of cinema.

Each film title in Take One's Essential Guide is listed with credits, a mini review and significant awards. Biographical listings of directors, producers, actors, writers, animators, cinematographers, distributors, exhibitors and independent filmmakers are accompanied by date and place of birth, date of death if applicable, a brief career overview and a filmography. Take One's Essential Guide is by no means complete. It is a start, a work in progress that will grow with each new edition. Some names and films have been omitted due both to space constraints and the availability of the films to be viewed (always a problem when it comes to Canadian cinema). It is my intention that they will be included in future editions.

Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Film would not have been possible without the helpful assistance and encouragement of Eve Goldin, senior library technician at The Film Reference Library, Toronto, and contributions from members of Take One's editorial board including: Tom McSorley, the executive director of the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa; Maurie Alioff, professor at Vanier College in Montreal where he teaches screenwriting; Cynthia Amsden, editor--in--chief of Canadian Weeklies Syndicate; and Matthew Hays, the associate editor of the Montreal weekly Mirror. The following chronology (edited for length) is an excerpt from the Essential Guide, portions of which originally appeared in Take One Nos. 12 and 20.

1896

* The first public screening of a film in Canada takes place on June 28, in Montreal. In July, the Holland brothers introduce Edison's Vitascope to the Canadian public in Ottawa's West End Park. Among the scenes shown is The Kiss, starring May Irwin, an actress from Whitby, Ontario. On August 31 the first screening in Toronto takes place at Robinson's Musee on Yonge Street.

1897

* The first films are shot in Canada. The subject of all three films (for Lumiere, Edison and Biograph) is Niagara Falls.

* Films are screened in vaudeville theatres by travelling showmen who tour them from city to city.

1898

* The Massey--Harris Company of Toronto commissions the Edison Company to produce films to promote its products. This was the first use of film for advertising purposes.

* In December, John Schuberg presents films in Vancouver for the first time.

1902

* The Bioscope Company of Halifax, the first Canadian film--production company, produces a series of scenes for Canadian Pacific Railways to encourage British immigration to Canada.

1903

* Joe Rosenthal directs Hiawatha, The Messiah of the Ojibways, the first dramatic short to be made in Canada.

* Leo--Ernest Ouimet establishes Canada's first film exchange in Montreal.

* Adolph Zukor, a Hungarian--born entrepreneur, opens his first penny arcades in New York and New Jersey. (Zukor became the most influential figure in Canadian film exhibition and distribution.)

1904

* George Scott and Co. make The Great Fire of Toronto. This record of the city's worst fire is first film to be shot in Toronto.

* Zukor opens the first of his palatial movie theatres, the Crystal Hall, in New York City.

1905

* Billy Bitzer shoots two films for Biograph: Moose Hunt in New Brunswick and Salmon Fishing in Quebec. (Bitzer later became D.W. Griffith's main cinematographer.)

1906

* Ouimet opens his "Ouimetoscope" in Montreal and films the first Canadian newsreels to show in his theatre.

* The American--born Allen brothers, Jule and Jay, open a storefront theatre in Brantford, Ontario.

1911

* Ontario (followed soon after by Quebec and Manitoba) establishes a Board of Censors to regulate the content of motion pictures, the first in North America.

* The Allens open their first luxury theatre -- the 800--seat Allen Theatre in Calgary.

1912

* Quebec--born Mack Sennett releases the first shorts made by his newly formed Keystone Studios in Los Angeles.

* Adolph Zukor forms Famous Players in Famous Plays Film Company in New York.

1913

* Evangeline, the first Canadian feature, is shot in Nova Scotia by the Bioscope Company.

* Boards of censors are established in British Columbia and Alberta.

1914

* At the outbreak of the First World War, the failure of the United States to enter the war results in a swell of anti-Americanism. Provincial censor boards ban or attempt to curtail "excessive" display of the American flag in American films. (The United States entered the war in 1917.)

1915

* Ray Lewis founds the Canadian Moving Picture Digest, Canada's first weekly film trade journal. (She remained editor and publisher until her death in 1954.)

1916

* Adolph Zukor joins forces with Jesse Lasky to form Famous Players--Lasky, with the rights to distribute Mary Pickford films through Paramount Pictures. With a massive loan from the Morgan Bank, Zukor embarks on an ambitious plan to dominate the industry by acquiring motion picture theatres right across North America.

* Minneapolis--born N.L. Nathanson buys his first theatre in Toronto, the Majestic Theatre on Adelaide Street, with the backing of wealthy partners. (Nathanson built Paramount Theatres, a theatre chain that rivalled that of the Aliens.)

1917

* Ontario establishes the Ontario Motion Picture Bureau (OMPB) "to carry out educational work for farmers, school children, factory workers and other classes."

* Canadian National Features of Toronto opens the first film studio in Canada in Trenton, Ontario.

1918

* The federal government follows Ontario's lead and establishes the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau (CGMPB).

* The Aliens now own the largest and most modern chain of theatres in Canada and have exclusive rights to distribute Goldwyn and Famous Players--Lasky films in Canada.

1919

* Nell Shipman, from Victoria, B.C., writes and stars in Back to God's Country, the most successful silent Canadian film at the box office.

* Zukor sets his sights on Canada and refuses to renegotiate his distribution agreement with the Allens unless they take him into partnership. The Allens refuse.

* Toronto-born Mary Pickford forms United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks as partners.

1920

* The Canadian Pacific Railways, which has been active in producing films since 1897, incorporates Associated Screen News of Canada (ASN) in Montreal and appoints Ben Norrish, formerly of the CGMPB, as its head. (For the next 38 years ASN was the main Canadian producer of newsreels, shorts and industrials.)

* Zukor buys a substantial part of Paramount Theatres, the rival Canadian chain operated by Nathanson, and incorporates Famous Players Canadian Corp. (FPCC). The Allens, however, continue to grow and expand into the United States.

1921

* The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA) is formed. (Although Canadian in name, the association consisted of the Canadian offices of the American distribution majors and was in essence a branch of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America.)

1922

* The Allen brothers go bankrupt after an intense bidding war with FPCC.

1924

* The OMPD purchases the studios at Trenton (which had been closed for four years) in an effort to produce films "for the purpose of preserving Canadian traditions." In an opening speech, the provincial treasurer notes: "Not one per cent of the pictures shown in Canada are made in Great Britain and not one per cent are Canadian made."

1926

* Scottish engineering genius John L. Baird gives the first public demonstration of a television system.

1927

* A fire in the Laurier Palace Theatre in Montreal results in the death of 78 children. The Catholic Church in Quebec demands (and gets) a ban on children under 16 from attending cinemas. (This ban remained in place until 1961.)

* Britain passes a bill calling for 25 per cent of all films exhibited in Britain to be British--made by 1935. A British film is defined as one "made by British subjects in a studio in the British Empire."

1928

* Carry on, Sergeantl premieres in Toronto. (It was the most costly film in the history of Canadian silent cinema, but it failed miserably at the box office.)

* Bill Oliver directs and shoots The Beaver People, the first of a series of shorts featuring Grey Owl.

1929

* Sir John Aird, chairman of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, delivers a report to Parliament calling for public ownership of Canadian broadcasting.

* The Bell Telephone labs in the United States demonstrate colour television transmission.

* Mary Pickford wins Best Actress at the second annual Academy Awards for her performance in Coquette.

1930

* Through his holding company Paramount Publix, Zukor acquires direct control of FPCC; FPCC, which owns one--third of all the theatres in Canada, is now 100 per cent American owned.

* Under the Federal Combines Investigation Act, Prime Minister Bennett appoints Peter White to investigate more than 100 complaints against American film interests operating in Canada. White's report concludes that FPCC is a combine "detrimental to the Public Interest." The provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia take FPCC and the American distribution cartel to court in Ontario.

* Montreal--born Norma Shearer wins the Best Actress at the Academy Awards for The Divorcee; her brother, Douglas, wins the first--ever Academy Award for sound recording. (This has been the only time in the history of the Academy that a brother and sister have won awards at the same ceremony.)

1931

* Ontario passes the British Film Quota Act, but never enforces its provisions.

* Canadian--born comedian Marie Dressler wins an Academy Award for her performance in Min and Bill.

1932

* After a lengthy trial, FPCC and other defendants are found not guilty on three counts of conspiracy and combination." A decision against the U.S. cartel would have been a historic turning point for the future of flimmaking in Canada, but it was not to be.

* The Ontario Board of Censors imposes a newsreel quota and insists on the inclusion of a percentage of Canadian and British footage. (This quota remained in force as long as newsreels were shown in Ontario.)

* Gordon Sparling directs The Pathfinder, his first theatrical short in the Canadian Cameo series for ASN.

* The Parliament of Canada passes the first Broadcasting Act, creating the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) to engage in broadcasting and to regulate all broadcasting in Canada.

1933

* Fay Wray from Cardston, Alberta, finds cinematic immortality screaming atop the Empire State Building in King Kong.

1934

* Mitcheil Hepburn's Liberal government closes down the OMPD, and the Trenton studios are donated to the city of Trenton for a community hall -- a sad end to one of Canada's earliest and busiest film studios.

1935

* Nat Taylor forms the Independent Theatres Association of Ontario.

* The National Film Society of Canada is founded. (In 1950 this organization became the Canadian Film Institute.)

1936

* Columbia Pictures establishes Central Films of Victoria British Columbia. (During the late 1930s, this company made 14 B movies -- "quota quickies" -- for the British market with such rising stars as Rita Hayworth.)

* ASN builds Canada's largest sound studio in Montreal.

* The CRBC becomes the Canadian Broadcasting Corp./Societe Radio-Canada (CBC/SRC).

1938

* Noted documentary filmmaker John Grierson is invited to Canada from England to study government film production. His report leads to the creation of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

* The British quota system is revised to exclude films made in the Commonwealth.

* Winnipeg--born Deanna Durbin shares an Academy Award with Mickey Rooney for "bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth."

1939

* Parliament passes the National Film Act creating the NFB.

* Grierson becomes Canada's first film commissioner, and the NFB concludes distribution agreements with FPCC and The March of Time in the United States. Grierson appoints British documentary filmmaker Stuart Legg as the director of production.

* Budge and Judith Crawley shoot their first sponsored film, Canadian Power, for the Canadian Geographical Society.

1940

* With the release of Atlantic Patrol, the NFB launches its first theatrical series, Canada Carries On.

1941

* The CGMPB is absorbed by the NFB. Scottish animator Norman McLaren is hired to organize the NFB's animation unit. His first film for the Board is Mail Early.

* Quebec establishes Le Service de CinephotographLe de la Province de Quebec, a central organization to coordinate film activity in the province.

* N.L. Nathanson, a founding board member of FPCC, leaves to form Odeon Theatres, with his son, Paul, as the titular head of the company.

* Exhibitor Nat Taylor and publisher Hye Bossin launch The Canadian Film Weekly.

1942

* The NFB launches its second wartime series, The World in Action. The Board also creates the department of animation under the direction of McLaren, and organizes film circuits to bring films to rural areas, factories and town halls.

* The NFB wins its first Academy Award for Churchill's Island in the newly created documentary category.

1943

* The NFB opens offices in London, Chicago and New York.

* The first dramatic sound feature shot in Quebec, A la croisee des chemins, is released.

1944

* The establishment of Renaissance Films in Montreal marks the beginning of commercial feature--film production in Quebec; its first film is Le Pere Chopin.

1945

* Grierson resigns his position as Canada's film commissioner.

*Paul Nathanson and the Rank Organization of England open the Queensway Studios outside of Toronto.

1946

* Grierson's name appears in Igor Gouzenko's spy papers and he is suspected of having communist sympathies; in the cold war atmosphere of suspicion, the NFB is also implicated.

* Quebec Productions of St--Hyacinthe, near Montreal, shoots Whispering City ILa Forteresse, the first Canadian feature in both English and French.

* Budge and Judith Crawley incorporate Crawley Films in Ottawa.

* Paul Nathanson retires from Odeon and sells his interest in the company to the Rank Organization. Now both the major exhibition chains in Canada are foreign--owned.

* In the first move to classify films in North America, the Ontario Board of Censors imposes an "Adult Entertainment" rating.

1948

* Minister of Trade and Commerce, Clarence D. Howe, meets with the Motion Picture Association of America and accepts to the infamous Canadian Cooperation Project. Hollywood promises to make films in Canada, distribute more NFB work stateside, export fewer "low-toned" gangster films to Canada and make reference to Canada in feature films. FPCC's profits are not restricted and the idea of an exhibition quota is dropped.

* Nat Taylor opens North America's first twin cinema in Ottawa.

* CBC Radio launches "This Week at the Movies" with host Gerald Pratley, the first radio program to deal seriously with film appreciation.

* In August, the first television seen in Canada is shown at the Canadian National Exhibition; in October, patrons of the Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Toronto watch the World Series on television via a signal provided by WBEN--TV out of Buffalo, New York.

* The Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada is created, as is the Toronto Film Society.

1949

* Allegations concerning the existence of Communist cells in the NFB are spearheaded by a red--scare press campaign and the Opposition in Parliament. The Department of National Defence refuses to allow NFB personnel to work on defence films. The Board gives into pressure and allows the RCMP to secretly review employee's files.

* After a distinguished career in film, Toronto--born Walter Huston wins Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

* Crawley Films wins Film of the Year for The Loon's Necklace at the inagural Canadian Film Awards held in Ottawa.

* Former NFB animators Jim McKay and George Dunning establish Graphic Associates, Canada's first private animation studio, in Toronto.

* The Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences (the Massey Commission) is appointed by Parliament.

1950

* A new National Film Act (replacing the 1939 Act) gives the NFB a mandate "to interpret Canada to Canadians and to other nations."

* Ross McLean's NFB contract is not renewed; Arthur Irwin, former editor of Maclean's magazine, becomes the new film commissioner.

* The National Film Society becomes the Canadian Film Institute in Ottawa, and creates the first film archive in Canada.

* The Yorkton (Saskatchewan) Film Council holds the inagural International 16mm Documentary Film Festival -- the first film festival in North America.

1951

* The Massey Commission submits its report, calling for the creation of the Canada Council and the establishment of a television system based on the concept of public monopoly with a private component.

1952

* Canadian television goes on air on September 6 in Montreal (CBFT) and Septempber 8 in Toronto (CBLT). Each station offers about 18 hours of programming a week. There are 146,000 households with television sets in Canada.

* Hockey Night in Canada/La Soiree du hockey goes on air; the first games are broadcast October 11 on the French network (Montreal vs. Detroit) and and November 1 on the English broadcast (Toronto vs. Boston). (This national tradition became the longest running and the most popular show in the history of Canadian television.)

1953

* Tit--coq wins Film of the Year and Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards. (This film was the last of a mini--boom in Quebec features which saw 20 theatrical films produced between 1944 and 1953.)

* The Ontario Board of Censors introduces the first "X" rating in North America -- for people 18 years and older. (The name of this classification was later changed to "Restricted.")

* Roger Lemelin's La Famille Plouffe, a hit from radio, goes on air in Montreal and immediately becomes the most popular show on the French television network. (At its peak, Quebec's first teleroman attracted a weekly audience of four million.)

* CBUT, the CBC film unit in Vancouver, is set up, attracting young filmmakers such as Allan King and Daryl Duke.

* McLaren's Neighbours wins the NFB its second Academy award, and The Romance of Transportation in Canada wins the Palme d'Or for animation at Cannes.

1954

* A 50 per cent capital cost allowance (CCA) is introduced to encourage private investment in Canadian film companies.

* The Duplessis government in Quebec government forbids the screening of "federalist" NFB films in Quebec schools.

* Dorothy Burritt and Guy L. Cote found the Canadian Federation of Film Societies.

* Colin Low's Corral wins first prize for documentary at the Venice Film Festival.

1955

* Two former NFB filmmakers, Marcel and Real Racicot, produce Quebec's first animated feature, Le Village enchante.

* Le Centre Catholique du Cinema de Montreal publishes the first issue of Sequences.

* The opening of Parliament in Ottawa is broadcast on television for the first time.

* The Royal Commission on Broadcasting is appointed with Robert Fowler as chair.

* McLaren's Blinkity Blank wins the Palme d'Or for animation at Cannes and the first prize for animation at the British Academy Awards.

1956

* The NFB moves to its new headquarters to Montreal.

1957

* On July 1, a special television program is broadcast to mark the opening of coast--to--coast microwave service. With links from Victoria, to Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada now has the longest television network in the world.

* Sidney J. Furie shoots A Dangerous Age (originally planned as a CBC production) in Toronto.

* The Canada Council begins operations.

* The Canadian Moving Picture Digest ceases publication after 42 years.

* The NFB's City of Gold wins first prize for documentary film at Cannes; Claude Jutra's A Chairy Tale takes top honours for experimental film at Venice and is nominated for an Academy Award.

1958

* With the release of Les Raquetteurs, Brault and Groulx become pioneers in a movement that is known as cinema verite or direct cinema. (This portable, realistic approach to filmmaking captured the attention of French documentary filmmaker Jean Rouch, influenced the French New Wave, and held sway over the documentary movement in Canada for more than a generation.)

* A Dangerous Age is released theatrically in England, but can't find Canadian distribution. Furie moves to England and tells the British press: "I wanted to start a Canadian film industry, but nobody cared."

* The Fowler Report results in the Broadcasting Act, which establishes the Board of Broadcast Governors (BBG) to regulate all Canadian broadcasting and sets the stage for the licensing of private broadcasters. The BBG requries all television broadcasters to show a minimum of 45 per cent Canadian content.

* The inaugural Stratford International Film Festival in Stratford, Ontario.

* ASN, Canada's longest--running film production company, closes down.

* AI Sens opens his animation studio, the first in Vancouver.

1959

* Nat Taylor opens the Toronto International Film Studios in Kleinberg, Ontario, near Toronto, with two of the largest sound stages outside of Hollywood.

* Candid Eye, a series of 14 direct--cinema documentaries, is broadcast on CBC-TV over two seasons

* In co--production with the BBC, Crawley Films of Ottawa launches The RCMP series in both French and English.

* Don Messer's Jubilee goes on air from Halifax. (Over its 10--year lifespan, this show became one of the most beloved programs ever produced by CBC--TV.)

* The CBC/SRC microwave network is extended to Newfoundland.

1960

* The BBG licenses four private broadcasters to compete with the CBC/SRC: Tele--Metropole and CFCF in Montreal; CFTO in Toronto; BCTV in Vancouver.

* At Cannes, The Back--Breaking Leaf wins top prize for television documentary and Universe wins the Jury Prize for animation.

1961

* The CTV Network goes on air in October. (CTV, Canada's largest private television network, was set up as a rather unmanageable cooperative. Each owner -- no matter how many stations they own -- had a veto and a single vote on the executive board -- an arrangement that made for a very unhappy partnership. After decades of corporate machinations, Toronto--based Baton Broadcasting took over ownership in 1997.)

* Nat Taylor produces The Mask. (This 3--D film was the first Canadian feature to be extensively shown in the United States; it was distributed by Warner Bros.)

* Quebec schools are once again allowed to screen NFB films.

* The operations of the Stratford International Film Festival are suspended.

1962

* Crawley Films produces The Tales of the Wizard of Oz, the first animated series for television.

1963

* The Liberal government in Ottawa establishes an Inter--Departmental Committee on the Possible Development of a Feature Film Industry in Canada with NFB film commissioner Guy Roberge as chair.

* Don Owen directs Nobody Waved Good--Bye for the NFB, the first film to give Toronto a cinematic identity; Claude Jutra does the same for Montreal with A tout prendre.

* Allan King and Don Haig establish Film Arts as an editing and post--production facility in Toronto, with the CBC as their

* Pierre Perrault's and Michel Brault's Pour la suite du monde is broadcast on SRC and draws an audience of half--a--million.

* The Province of Ontario creates the Ontario Arts Council; the Council's mandate includes funding films of an experimental nature.

* Canada signs its first co--production agreement -- with France.

* The Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is formed. (In 1984, the organization is restructed under the name Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.)

1964

* The theatrical release of Nobody Waved Good--Bye in Toronto marks the beginning of an English--Canadian feature--film culture. (The film opened first in New York; only after favourable reviews did the NFB agreed to its release in Canada.)

* This Hour Has Seven Days premieres on CBC--TV. (This one--hour weekly show, produced by Douglas Leiterman and Patrick Watson, became one of the most controversial and influential shows ever run on the CBC. Its original mixture of satirical music, investigative film reports and confrontational and aggressive interviews made it hugely popular. At its peak in March 1966, This Hour's ratings were second only to Hockey Night in Canada.)

* The federal cabinet approves in principle the establishment of a loan fund to foster and promote the development of a feature--film fund.

* Guy L. Cote and Michel Patenaude found La Cinematheque canadienne.

* The Yorkton Short Film Festival begins in Saskatchewan.

* The Committee on Broadcasting, chaired by Robert Fowler, is established.

1965

* The Report of Film Distribution: Practices, Problems and Prospects by O.J. Firestone, is released. (The report recommended an increase in the CCA allowed to producers, the initiation of joint international film agreements and the establishment of a film--development corporation. Most of of Firestone's recommendations were eventually adopted, but never as a comprehensive package.)

* Beryl For's The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam broadcast on CBC's Documentary series and wins Film of the Year at the Canadian Film Awards.

* The Committee on Broadcasting recommends a new authority to replace the BBG. By now more than 90 per cent of Canadian households have television sets.

* The Ontario Film Association is formed out of the Ontario Association of Film Councils.

1966

* The CBC brass cancels This Hour Has Seven Days. Patrick Watson is taken off the air and his co--host, Laurier LaPierre, is fired for crying over a story about the Stephen Truscott trial. The forerunner to W5 and 60 Minutes comes to an abrupt and controversial end.

* CTV launches W5. (This program is now the longest--running public--affairs program in North America.)

* Wojeck with John Vernon as a crusading coroner, runs on the CBC for two seasons. (This series, shot on the streets of Toronto using direct--cinema techniques, set new standards for realistic drama.)

* The original Take One magazine, published and edited by Peter Lebensold and Adam Symansky from Montreal, makes its debut. (The magazine later moved to Toronto and continue publishing until 1979.)

1967

* The NFB presents Labyrinth, a groundbreaking multi--screen presentation at Expo 67.

* The NFB launches the Challenge for Change program.

* The Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, the first of the alternative distribution cooperatives to spring--up across the country, is established in Toronto.

* Toronto--born and CBC--trained Norman Jewison receives an Academy Award nomination for his direction of the groundbreaking U.S. racial drama in the Heat of the Night, the film wins five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Jewison receives his first of three nominations for Best Director.

1968

* The Canadian Film Development Corp. (CFDC) opens for business in February with a budget of $10 million. (However, because no effort was made to affect the distribution and exhibition of films in Canada, the films financed by the CFDC were seen by few Canadians.)

* The 1967--8 Broadcasting Act creates the Canadian Radio--Television Commission (CRTC), with Pierre Juneau as the first chairman. The CRTC exercises almost total judiciary control -- although its decisions can be appealed to the cabinet -- over broadcasting regulations in Canada. Every broadcaster must renew its licence on a schedule determined by the Commission, and the CRTC has the authority to impose Canadian content regulations on the nation's airwaves. (In 1976, when the federal government transferred telecommunications from the Canadian Transport Commission to the CRTC, the name was changed to Canadian Radio--Television and Telecommunications Commission.)

* Roman Kroitor, Graeme Ferguson and Robert Kerr form the Multiscreen Corp. to make films in the new IMAX format.

* FPCC is dissolved and replaced by Famous Players Ltd., 51 per cent of which is owned by Gulf+Western (Canada) Ltd., which in turn is wholly owned by Gulf+Western in the United States.

* Toronto-born, NFB--trained animator George Dunning directs Yellow Submarine, a feature--length animated film based on the music by the Beatles.

* The Canadian Film Awards are reorganized to include craft and acting awards.

* Christopher Chapman's A Place to Stand wins Film of the Year, and Don Owen's The Ernie Game, a co-production between the NFB and CBC-TV, is named Best Feature Film.

1969

* Donald Shebib films Goin' down the Road on the streets of Toronto with a minuscule budget.

* The Challenge for Change program is formally established as a studio within the NFB with a specific mandate from the federal Cabinet "to prepare Canadians for social change" using film, video and other media.

* Don Messer's Jubilee is cancelled, provoking a strong and vocal outrage from loyal viewers across Canada; despite an avalanche of mail in support of the show, the CBC doesn't relent.

* The release of Valene, directed by Denis Heroux, launches the mini--boom of sexploitation films in Quebec known as 'Maple Syrup Porn."

* The Ontario Board of Censors bans John Hofsess's The Columbus of Sex. (Produced by Ivan Reitman and Dan Goldberg, it is the first Canadian film to be banned).

* The first Canadian Student Film Festival is held at Sir George Williams University in Montreal.

* Gerald Pratley founds the Ontario Film Institute.

* The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar is named Film of the Year at the Canadian Film Awards.

1970

* Sydney Newman is appointed film commissioner. With events of the October Crisis unfolding, Newman suppresses several films including Denys Arcand's On est au coton, a gritty, realistic expose of Quebec's garment industry. (Arcand's film is finally released in 1976.)

* The first film to partially use MAX technology is Tiger Child directed by Donald Brittain and projected at the World Fair in Osaka, Japan.

* The NFB animated film Psychocratie wins Film of the Year, and Goin' down the Road wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

1971

* Mon oncle Antoine wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards and the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, establishing Claude Jutra as Canada's most accomplished director.

* La Cinematheque canadienne becomes La Cinematheque quebecoise with Robert Daudelin as director.

* The Nelvana Studios opens in Toronto. (This company, founded by Michael Hirsh, Clive Smith and Patrick Loubert grew to become Canada's most successful animation house.)

* L'Association Cooperative des Productions Audio--Visuelles (ACPAV) is founded in Montreal, with Marc Daigle as director.

* The first issue of Cinema Quebec is published.

* The Ontario Film Institute revives the Stratford International Film Festival.

* The Toronto Filmmakers' Co-op is established.

* ACTRA initiates the ACTRA Awards for the best in Canadian television.

* Norman Jewison receives his second Academy Award nomination for Fiddler on the Roof.

1972

* Highlight of the year is "The Big Broadcast of 1972," the first Canada/Russia hockey series that draws a total audience of more than halt the population of Canada when Paul Henderson wins the last game, and the series, with a dramatic last--minute goal.

* The Ontario Ministry of Industry and Tourism appoints producer John Bassett to head a task force to study the Canadian film industry. Bassett concludes that "a basic film industry exists. It's the audiences that need to be nurtured through theatrical exposure. The optimum method of accomplishing this is to establish a quota system for theatres."

* The Council of Canadian Filmmakers (CCFM), an ad--hoc group representing unions, ACTRA, the Directors Guild and the Toronto Filmmakers' Co-op, is formed.

* Kathtleen Shannon begins Working Mothers, a series of shorts for the Challenge for Change program. It is the Board's first commitment to feminist filmmaking.

* The Pacific Cinematheque is formed in Vancouver.

* Anik-1 is launched in November. The orbit of this satelite is such that it can always broadcast to the entire land surface of Canada, providing television and radio service from the 49th parallel to the far North. "Anik" is the inuktitut word for "brother."

* Cinema Canada magazine is launched in Toronto by George Csaba Koller and Philip McPhedran.

* John Grierson, the founder of the NFB, dies in England at the age of 73.

* Leo-Ernest Ouimet, a pioneer in Canadian cinema, dies in Montreal.

* William Fruet's Wedding in White wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

1973

* The Canadian Film Awards, held in Montreal for the first time, are boycotted by L'Association des realisateurs et realisatrices de films du Quebec.

* Harold Greenberg buys Astral Films. (The company later became Astral Bellevue Pathe.)

* The NFB's Cry of the Wild, directed by Bill Mason, is released theatrically and quickly becomes one of the most successful NFB features at the box office.

* Ivan Reitman's low--budget Cannibal Girls is released and turns a huge profit in international sales.

* The Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association is incorporated.

* Slipstream wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

1974

* Ted Kotcheff's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz wins the Golden Bear (first prize) at the Berlin Film Festival -- the first Canadian feature to win at a major European film festival -- and Mordecai Richler receives an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay. (There were no Canadian Film Awards in 1974, so The Apprenticeship was awarded Best Feature Film for 1974 at the CFAs in 1975.)

* The CCFM issues the "Winnipeg Manifesto," calling for quotas and for "radical and creative solutions" to the problem of getting Canadian films shown in Canada.

* The federal government increases the CCA for films to 100 per cent. The concept of certification for a Canadian film is introduced.

* Members of I'Association des realisateurs et realisatrices de films du Quebec occupy the offices of the Quebec censor board to demand greater provincial support for Quebec cinema.

* The NFB creates Studio D, a unit under the direction of Kathleen Shannon, with a mandate to focus on production of films for, by, and about women.

* The Atlantic Filmmakers Co-op is founded in Halifax.

* Peter Foldes's Hunger, the first NFB animated film to use computer techniques, wins a Special Jury Prize for animation at Cannes.

1975

* Secretary of State Hugh Faulkner negotiates a voluntary quota agreement with Famous Players and Odeon Theatres: the chains are to guarantee a minimum of four weeks per theatre per year to Canadian films and invest a minimum of $1.7 million in their production.

* The Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers' Co-op and Winnipeg Film Group are founded.

* The first Grierson Film Seminar, sponsored by the Ontario Film Association, is held.

* Quebec passes legislation creating La Direction generale du cinema et de I'audio-visuel to stimulate the film industry.

* David Cronenberg's first feature, Shivers, is released.

* Robert Lantos and Stephen Roth establish RSL Films in Montreal; their first production is Gilles Carle's L'Ange et la femme.

* In Vancouver, Mary Newland founds International Rocketship.

* CBC-TV's King of Kensington, starring Al Waxman and Fiona Reid, debuts. (This conventional situation comedy, one of the most successful shows on the English network, ran for live seasons.)

* Bill C-58 is passed by Parliament; this legislation disallows tax deductions for advertisers who run commercials on U.S. programs aimed at Canadian audiences. Canadian networks are allowed to substitute their signal for U.S. channels on cable.

* Cinema Canada magazine moves to Montreal and becomes a monthly edited and published by Connie and Jean-Pierre Tadros.

* Michael Brault shares the Best Director prize at Cannes for Les Ordres, which also wins Film of the Year and Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

1976

* The CCFM is granted a hearing before the Royal Commission on Corporate Concentration; however, no federal inquiry is called to investigate charges that Famous Players and Odeon work in collusion to block the exhibition of Canadian films. Famous Players responds by attacking the voluntary quota system and states: "Clearly the people of Canada do not appreciate the works of most current Canadian filmmakers."

* The CMPDA inaugurates the Golden Reel Award, for the producer of the Canadian feature film that achieves the highest box--office gross in Canadian theatres. The first winner is Jan Kadar's Lies My Father Told Me. The film also wins the Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards, as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, and author Ted Allan receives an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay.

* The first Toronto Festival of Festivals is held.

* The Moving Image and Sound Archives Division of the Public Archives of Canada in Ottawa is created.

* The International Animated Film Festival is held in Ottawa; this is the first time the festival is held outside of Europe.

* Crawley's The Man Who Skied down Everest wins an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, and Mary Pickford receives an Honorary Academy Award.

1977

* The British--owned Odeon Theatres is bought by Canadian interests headed by Michael Zahorchak; however, nothing changes. The federal government gives up on voluntary quotas, which were not working.

* Garth Drabinsky produces his second feature, Daryl Duke's The Silent Partner this film marks the beginning of the CCA--driven tax--shelter boom years.

* SCTV goes on air locally in Toronto on Global TV then moves to Edmonton for the 1979 season. (SCTV, one of the funniest parodies of television ever made, was picked up by NBC in 1981 for two seasons in a 90--minute version, a first for an independent Canadian--produced series. The last season was 1983-4.)

* The first World Film Festival is held in Montreal.

* The Saskatchewan Film Pool is formed in Regina.

* Monique Mercure shares the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her performance in J.A. Martin photographe. The film also wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

1978

* The Ontario Board of Censors bans outright Pretty Baby, Louis Malle's controversial film about prostitution in turn-of-the--century New Orleans. (The popular backlash to this ban marked the beginning of the end for Canada's longest-running board of censors.)

* Garth Drabinsky joins forces with Nat Taylor to form Pan Canadian Film Distributors.

* Michael MacMillan, Seaton McLean and Janice Platt form Atlantis Films.

* The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers is founded. The Toronto Filmmakers' Co--op ceases operations.

* Ivan Reitman shoots the low-budget teen comedy Meatballs with Bill Murray in Haliburton, Ontario, north of Toronto.

* The Silent Partner wins Best Feature Film at the Canadian Film Awards.

* The NFB wins two Academy Awards: for Co Hoedeman's The Sand Castle (Animated Short) and Beverly Shaffer's I'll Find a Way (Live--Action Short). These are the first Academy Awards won by the NFB in 25 years.

1979

* Meatballs is released and becomes a huge box--office hit in the United States. Its success demonstrates that investment in Canadian films is viable and lucrative. Tax--shelter production peaks, and more feature films are made in Canada than at any other time; many are never released.

* Nat Taylor and Garth Drabinsky open Cineplex, an 18--theatre complex in Toronto's Eaton Centre. The theatres are small and play 16mm specialty films, European art films and Hollywood second runs.

* Denis Heroux and John Kemeny establish International Cinema Corp. (ICC) in Montreal. Their first film is Louis Matte's Atlantic City.

* The Academy of Canadian Cinema is incorporated and takes over the Canadian Film Awards, which are now called the Genies. No awards are presented this year.

* The New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co--op is founded in Fredericton. The Canadian Filmmakers Distribution West begins operations in Vancouver.

* The Banff Television Foundation is formed and holds the first Banff Television Festival.

*The first issue of 24 Images is published.

*The NFB's Special Delivery wins an an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

* Mary Pickford dies at 87.

1980

* The Ontario Board of Censors attempts to ban Volker Schlondorff's The Tin Drum, but backs down in the face of a huge public outcry and agrees to let the film be shown with only minor cuts.

*Montreal producer Rock Demers establishes Les Productions La Fete to make Tales for All, a series feature films for children.

*Cineworks opens in Vancouver and the Uaison of Independent Filmmakers (LIFT) opens in Toronto.

*At the tirst Genies,The Changeling wins Best Picture and Meatballs wins the Golden Reel Award.

*Every Child wins an Oscar for Best Animated Short; this is the fourth Academy Award won by the NFB in three years.

1981

*The Alberta Motion Picture Development Corp. is created.

*The first Atlantic Film Festival is held in St. John's, Newfoundland.

*Bonnie Sherr Klein's controversial Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography becomes one of the most popular feature-length documentaries ever produced by the NFB.

*Bob Clark's Porky's, produced by Astral, is released in the United States and becomes the most successful Canadian feature at the box office, worldwide.

*Les Bons Debanas wins Best Picture and The Changeling the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1982

*In one of the most important and effective programming decisions in Canadian television history, the CBC moves the national news from 11:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. and introduces The Journal, a high-profile public-affairs program with former radio host Barbara Frum. This change revitalizes Canadian television news and the CBC gains five hours of prime-time Canadian programming per week.

*The CRTC licenses six pay-TV companies; two national - First Choice Canadian (FCC) and C Channel - and four regional.

*The first Rendez-vous du cinema quebecois is held. The Vancouver International Film Festival begins.

*The Canadian Independent Film Caucus is created to promote the production of point-of-view documentaries.

*Jean Pierre Lefebvre's Lea Fleurs sauvages shares the International Film Critics' Prize at Cannes.

*Ticket to Heaven wins Best Picture and Heavy Metal, wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

*Atlantic City is the first Canadian dramatic feature to be nominated for Best Picture an Academy Award along with its French director, Louis Matte, and its American stars, Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon.

* Frederic Back's Cracl, produced by SRC, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

1983

*Garth Drabinsky receives a hearing before the Restrictive Trade Practices Commission, but hours before the hearing begins six major American distributors issue a joint statement saying they will change their practices and ensure competition in the distribution and exhibition of films in Canada.

*C Channel goes on air in February, and six months lafer goes off the air in major embarrassment, as inexperienced management and poor audience figures kill the first lively arts channel.

*FCC causes an immediate uproar by signing a deal with the Playboy Channel. Later in the year, FCC is bought by Harold Greenberg's Astral Bellevue Pathe with the backing of Bronfman money. (Eventually FCC became The Movie Network, and Astral Communications became one of the largest fully integrated distribution and broadcasting companies in Canada.)

* Empire Inc., co-directed by Denys Arcand and Doug Jackson, is broadcast on CBC/SRC. This big-budget CBC/SRC/NFB co-production starring Kenneth Welsh sets new standards for high-quality Canadian television drama.

* Quebec's new Cinema Act creates La Societe generale du cinema to provide funding for Quebec films.

* The Supreme Court of Ontario rules that the Ontario Board of Censors is operating in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

* The United States Department of Justice labels Terre Nash's If You Love This Planet a propaganda film and places restrictions on its distribution.

* The Grey Fox wins Best Picture and Porky's the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

* The NFB wins its seventh Academy Award for If You Love This Planet. Just Another Missing Kid, the CBC's the fifth estate documentary special on the murder of a Canadian youth in the United States directed by John Zaritsky, wins the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

1984

* Cineplex buys Odeon, and once again the competition for first-run Hollywood movies is effectively reduced to the two major chains. Drabinsky launches a major buying spree in the United States, setting up Cineplex to become the second-largest theatrical chain in North America.

* Francis Fox, the Liberal federal minister of communications, issues the National Film and Video Policy. The CFDC is transformed into Telefilm Canada and a $35-million broadcast fund is initiated.

* The Toronto Festival of Festivals programs the largest retrospective of Canadian films ever held in Canada, and Claude Jutra's Mon oncle Antoine is proclaimed the best Canadian film of all time. (This event launches Perspective Canada, the premier showcase for new Canadian cinema at the Toronto festival.)

* Atom Egoyan shoots his first feature, Next of Kin, marking the beginning of Toronto's new wave.

* The Dog Who Stopped the War/La Guerre des tuques, the first film in Rock Demers's Tales for All series, is released.

* Brian Mulroney's newly elected Conservative government announces a $75 million cut to the CBC/SRC. There are major layoffs in staff and some regional stations are closed. CBC/SRC president Pierre Juneau announces that Canadian programming will move to 75 per cent in prime time.

* The CRTC issues more pay-TV licenses including Citytv's MuchMusic and The Sports Network (TSN).

* The Terry Fox Story wins the Best Picture and Strange Brew the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

* Atlantis Films wins an Academy Award for Boys and Girls, one of six half-hour dramas based on short stories by Canadian authors broadcast on the CBC. The win marks a turning point in Canadian television and heralds the arrival of a major independent television producer.

* Cynthia Scott's Flamenco at 5:15 wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

1985

* Robert Lantos and Stephen Roth of RSL Films join forces with John Kemeny and Denis Heroux of ICC to form Alliance Entertainment Corp.

* After lengthy court appeals, the Ontario Board of Censors is finally disbanded and replaced by the Ontario Film Review Board.

* The CBC broadcasts Anne of Green Gables over two nights and draws a record audience of five million viewers. This mini-series, produced and directed by Kevin Sullivan and starring Megan Follows and Colleen Dewhurst, is one of the most popular dramas ever shown on the CBC.

* The Academy of Canadian Cinema becomes the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

* Reel West magazine begins publishing in Vancouver.

* lshu Patel's Paradise wins the Silver Bear for animation at the Berlin International Film Festival.

* The Bay Boy wins Best Picture and The Dog Who Stopped the War wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

* Charade by John Minnis of Sheridan College wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

1986

* Garth Drabinsky sells 49 per cent of Cineplex Odeon to MCA Inc., the parent company of Universal Studios, effectively putting Cineplex under American control.

* Telefilm Canada announces a $165-million Feature Film Fund over five years to assist in the production and distribution of feature films.

* The MPAA signs an agreement with the province of Quebec (Bill 109) by which only Quebec distributors will be allowed to distribute foreign films in the province. This effectively bars English-Canadian distributors from operating in Quebec.

* The report of the Caplan-Sauvageau task force on broadcasting policy is released; it recommends a new Broadcasting Act, special status for Quebec broadcasting, a revitalized CBC and guaranteed access to the system for women, minorities and aboriginal people.

* The ACTRA awards transfer to the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and become known as the Gemini Awards/Prix Gemeaux.

* The Ontario Film Development Corp. is established with Wayne Clarkson as director. National Screen Institute, based in Edmonton, is formed, and the Local Heroes Film Festival begins.

* With the tragic suicide of Claude Jutra, Canada loses one of its finest film directors.

* Denys Arcand's Le Declin de I'empire americain wins the International Film Critics' Award at Cannes.

* My American Cousin wins the Best Picture and Nelvana's The Care Bears Movie wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1987

* The Canada-Manitoba Cultural Industries Development Office (CIDO) and B.C. Film are established.

* Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing wins the Prix de la Jeunesse at Cannes.

* Playback, a bi-weekly trade publication, begins publishing

* Brigitte Berman's Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got shares the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary; Denys Arcand's Le Declin de l'empire americain is nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film; Norman Jewison receives his third directing nomination for Moonstruck.

* Le Declin de l'empire americain wins both the Best Picture and the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1988

* Federal communications minister Flora MacDonald tables the Film Products Importation Bill in Parliament. (This bill would have given Canadian distributors some measure of access to films not produced by the Hollywood majors by introducing a licensing system for all film distributors operating in Canada. Eventually it died on the order paper. It was the last serious attempt by the federal government to curtail the activities of the major American distributors.)

* La Societe generale du cinema du quebec becomes the film division of la Societe generale des industries culturelles du Quebec (SOGIC).

* The Canadian Centre for Advance Film Studies, founded by Norman Jewison, opens in Toronto.

* At the Genies, Un Zoo la nuit wins Best Picture (plus 12 other awards, the most in the history of the Genies), and The Gate the Golden Reel Award.

* Frederic Back wins his second Academy Award for the SRC animated short, The Man Who Planted Trees.

1989

* Newsworld, the first Canadian all-news station, is launched in July.

* Patrick Watson, the former producer of This Hour Has Seven Days, is appointed chairman of the CBC board of directors.

* After a lengthy court battle with his original partners, Izzy Asper takes control of the Global Network in Toronto and announces his desire to build a third national network.

* Garth Drabinsky attempts to buy back Cineplex Odeon from his American partners, but loses in a much-publicized corporate struggle.

* The Ontario Film Institute folds into the Toronto International Film Festival Group to become Cinematheque Ontario and The Film Reference Library.

* The NFB receives an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of its 50th anniversary. Joan Pennefather is named film commissioner; she is the first woman to hold this position.

* Cinema Canada ceases publication after 18 years.

* Arcand's Jesus de Montreal wins the Jury Prize at Cannes.

* Dead Ringers wins Best Picture and The Tadpole and the Whale wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1990

* Francis Mankiewicz's Love and Hate: The Stoy of Colin and Joann Thatcher, produced for the CBC-TV by Bernie Zuckerman and starring Kenneth Welsh and Kate Nelligan, is the first Canadian drama to be shown on U.S. prime-time television.

* In January, the CBC launchess Kevin Sullivan's Road to Avonlea series. With an audience of 2.5 million for its first episode, this show receives the highest ratings for an English-Canadian series debut.

* The teleseries Les Filtes de Caleb sets an all-time record for the SRC with an average audience of 3.2 million.

* CBC/SRC president Gerard Veilleux implements major cuts to take effect over the next three years; more regional stations are closed, all regional programming except for local newscasts is cancelled and more than 1,000 jobs are eliminated.

* The Nova Scotia Film Development Corp. is formed.

* Denys Arcand's Jesus de Montreal sweeps 12 Genies plus the Golden Reel Award.

1991

* Bill C-40, the new Broadcasting Act, is proclaimed after being passed in the Senate.

* The First Nations Filmmakers Alliance is founded in Edmonton.

* L'Institute nationale de image et du son, a film school based on Jewison's Canadian Film Centre, is established in Montreal; Rock Demers is one of the founders.

* Jesus de Montreal is nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards.

* The Genies move from March to November. Black Robe wins Best Picture, and Ding et Dong, le film wins the Golden Reel Award.

1993

* Robert Lantos takes Alliance public and creates Alliance Communications Inc. Alliance has become the largest producer and distributor in both film and television in Canada and is a major player in the North American marketplace.

* Agaguk/Shadow of the Wolf is released; at a reported cost of $31 million, this Canada/France co-production is the most expensive Canadian film ever made.

* Thirty-Two Short Films about Glenn Gould wins Best Picture and La Florida the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

* The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television introduces the Claude Jutra Award for first-time directors. The first winner is John Pozer for The Grocer's Wife.

1994

* The federal government approves the takeover of the Canadian assets of Paramount Communications Inc. (formerly Gulf+Western) by Viacom Inc. of New York; these assets include the Famous Players theatre chain and Blockbuster Video. In turn, Viacom promises to exhibit more Canadian films and spend more money in the marketing of Canadian films in Famous Players theatres.

* John Candy, the most successful of the SCTV graduates and one of the most beloved Canadian actors, dies at age 43.

* Due South goes on air prime time on the CBS network, a first for a Canadian-produced series.

* The CRTC licenses a new tier of speciality channels including Bravol, The Discovery Channel and Showcase, which go on air on January 1, 1995. However, the use of negative-option billing by cable companies (whereby consumers must cancel the new channels or be charged automatically) creates a customer backlash and public outrage.

* Patrick Watson steps down as chairman of the CBC.

* Nelvana goes public. Imax Corporation is purchased by American interests and goes public in the United States.

* Atom Egoyan's Exotica wins the International Film Critics' Prize at Cannes; this is the tirst English-Canadian feature to win a major international award since The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.

* Exotica wins Best Picture and Louis 19, le roi des ondes wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1995

* The newly elected Ontario Tories under Mike Harris cut deeply into the OFDC, freezing production funding and slashing the amount of money available for the Ontario Film Investment Program, Ontario's tax-rebate program.

* La Societe generale des enterprises culturelles (SODEC) replaces SOGIC and L'Institut quebecois du cinema, Quebec's film advisory board.

* SRC launches Le Reseau de l'information (RDI), the first French-language, all-news network in North America.

* Due South is cancelled by CBS after one season but continues on the CTV network and is sold worldwide.

* A $47-million Cable Production Fund, supported by 39 cable companies across Canada, is launched.

* Le Confessionnal wins Best Picture and Johnny Mnemonic the Golden Reel Award at the Genies. (The ceremonies were held in Montreal in January, 1996.)

* The NFB receives its 10th Academy Award for Bob's Birthday.

1996

* Harold Greenberg, chairman of the board of Astral Communications, dies July 1 at age 66.

* The Cable Production Fund evolves into the Canadian Television and Cable Production Fund; the Fund consists of $100 million directly from the federal government through the Ministry of Heritage, $50 million from Telefilm Canada and $50 million from the cable industry.

* The OFDC loses its funding for production and marketing, but retains the Ontario Film Investment Program.

* The Alberta Motion Picture Development Corp. ceases operations after 15 years, B.C. Film cuts its distribution program.

The NFB responds to federal government budget cuts by reducing its staff by 180, cutting services and streamlining administration. The renowned laboratory is closed in July and two of the three remaining video libraries are shut down in August.

* David Cronenberg's Crash wins a Special Jury Prize at Cannes for "audacity" after a heated debate that split the jury over the merits of the intensely controversial film.

* Lilies wins Best Picture and Crash wins the Golden Reel Award at the Genies.

1997

* With Ivan Fecan, the former programming chief at CBC-TV, at the helm, Baton Broadcasting takes control of the CTV network.

* A tragic plane crash in Northern Quebec claims the lives of director Jean-Claude Lauzon and Quebec television star Marie-Soleil Tougas.

Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter wins the Jury Prize, the International Critics' Prize and the Ecumenical Award at the Cannes festival, making it the most honoured Canadian film ever to play the festival. The film also wins eight Genies, including Best Picture.

* Air Bud wins the Golden Reel Award.

* CanWest Global buys the television stations owned by WIC Broadcasting of Vancouver. The purchase completes Global's10--year goal to create Canada's third national network.

1998

* The merger of Alliance Communications and Atlantis Films creates Alliance Atlantis Communications with Michael MacMillan as chairman and CEO. Robert Lantos announces his intention to step aside from the day-to-day operations of the new company to concentrate on producing features.

* The chain of U.S. and Canadian Cineplex Odeon theatres is bought by the Japanese communications giant Sony. However, the Canadian distribution division, Cineplex Odeon Films, is sold to Alliance Atlantis; it remains as a stand-alone company, now known as Odeon Films.

* CanWest Golbal buys the television stations owned by WIC Broadcasting of Vancouver. The purchase completes Global's 10-year goal to create Canada's third national network.

* John Bassett, newspaper publisher, original owner of CFTO--TV in Toronto and co-founder of the CTV network, dies at age 82.

* Joyce Wieland, considered the mother of Canadian experimental film, dies at age 66.

* Veteran Quebec producer, Pierre Lamy, dies at age 72.

* Sheila Copps, minister of heritage, announces a federal feature--film policy review.

* The Sweet Hereafter is nominated for two Academy Awards -- Best Director and Adapted Screenplay.

* The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television moves the Genie Awards ceremony forward to January 1999. No awards are presented in 1998.

* The Quebec film industry launches Les Prix Jutra, an award showcase for features and documentaries produced in Quebec. The first ceremonies were held in February, 1999.

* The Canadian Television and Cable Production Fund is renamed The Canadian Television Fund.

1999

* David Cronenberg's eXistenZ wins a Silver Bear for artistic achievement at the Berlin International Film Festival and Cronenberg is appointed head of the Cannes Film Festival jury -- a first for a Canadian.

* Alberta introduces the Film Development Program, a new fund to partially offset the loss of business that occurred when the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corp. was closed down in 1996.

* In a decision with far--reaaching implications, the CRTC declares if does not have the power to regulate the Internet.

* The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network gets CRTC approval to run as a national network on basic cable systems across the country.

* Wendy Tilby's and Amanda Forbis's When the Day Breaks wins the Palm d'Or for animation at the Cannes Film Festival and the Grand Prize at Annecy. It also wins the Genie for Best Animated Short and receives an Academy Award nomination.

* Francois Girard's The Red Violin wins Best Picture at the inaugural presentation of Le Prix Jutra.

* At the Genies, The Red Violin wins Best Picture and Les Boys the Golden Reel Award.

2000

* More than two years after heritage minister Sheila Copps announced the creation of a new feature--film fund, the fund is launched at the Vancouver International Film Festival. The new monies, to be administered by Telefilm Canada, increase feature--film funding to $100 million a year beginning in 2001. Copps declares that the object of the new money is boost the audience for Canadian films, noting that Canadian films account for only two per cent of annual box--office revenue. She sets a target of five per cent in five years.

* BCE Inc. announces its intention to buy the CTV network, which is approved by the CRTC in December. The telephone giant views the purchase as means of keeping in step with American Internet and media mega--mergers such as AOL's purchase of Time Warner.

* In March, Cinar founders, Ronald Weinberg and Micheline Charest are forced to resign from the company amid reports that $122 million has been invested in an off--shore bank without permission of the board of directors. The trading of Cinar stocks is halted on the Montreal exchange.

* Corus Entertainment of Toronto, owners of YTV and part--owners of Teletoon, purchase Nelvana for $530 million.

* In July, the CRTC approves the CanWest Global take over of WIC Communications. A month later, CanWest announces its intention to buy Conrad Black's Canadian newspaper holdings, including a half--share in the the National Post.

* Sunshine wins the Genie for Best Picture and Les Boys II the Golden Reel Award. Post Mortem wins Best Picture at Le Prix Jutra.

* Les Productions Pascal Blais wins an Academy Award for The Old Man and the Sea, the first animated short shot in IMAX, and The Red Violin wins for Best Musical Score.