Indigenous Screen Office worries for its future after federal budget exclusion

TORONTO – An organization that supports Indigenous filmmakers and storytellers through funding, training and advocacy says its future is in jeopardyafter being excluded from the federal budget.

The Indigenous Screen Office,which provided support for recent high-profile screen projects including “Bones of Crows” and “Stellar,” issued a letter to the federal government last Thursdayexpressing disappointment that its request for increased and permanent funding was not included in last month’s 2023 federal budget.

In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, the ISO notes that the federal government’s three-year funding commitment of about $13 million per year ends on March 31, 2024 and as a result, “the organization is at considerable risk.”

Kerry Swanson, the ISO’s chief executive officer, said the majority of their financing comes from the federal government.

While the ISO brings in an additional million dollars per year in other partnership funding, Swanson says that a good deal of that goes directly to projects.

“Taking us to the point where we won’t know if we have funding until our current agreement runs out brings us very close to the edge,” said Swanson, who is from northern Ontario and is a member of theMichipicoten First Nation.

“As an organization, it’s really no way to run a business and no way to have a relationship that is supposed to be a partnership.”

Swanson said the ISO’stotal annual budget for 2021-22 was just over $14 million with a total administrative spending amount of $1.5 million, including operational, staffing, professional fees, and program administration.

In the last fiscal year, $11.6 million of Canadian Heritage funding was given directly to recipients through the story fund and sector development program streams.

An additional $830,000 went to recipients and initiatives including the Netflix apprenticeship program, CBC/APTN Pre-Development Program, Sundance Fellowship, MIT Incubator, and the Cultural Mentorship program.

Launched in 2017, the ISOisan Indigenous-led, independent organization that promotes the work of Indigenous creators.

Swanson said the organization hasdirected $24.6 million in two years of funding to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators and projects.

“We had three of our funded films that were showcased at TIFF in 2022,“ said Swanson, noting the psychological CBC drama ”Bones of Crows“ helmed by director Marie Clements, the queer Indigenous film “Rosie” and the love story “Stellar,” starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.

She said they’ve been in frequent dialogue with the government, particularly Canadian Heritage, which only added to their surprise over the budget.

Laura Scaffidi, press secretary for Rodriguez, said in a statement that the heritage minister “has been given a mandate to provide the Indigenous Screen Office with additional ongoing funding so more Indigenous stories can be told and seen. Budget 2021 provided $40.1 million to support the Indigenous Screen Office.”

As per the 2021 budget, the funding was meant to last for three years.

“People across Canada should be able to recognize themselves in the stories that are told on their screens. This means that all creatives — regardless of language spoken, ethnicity, age, or geography — should have more opportunities to participate in and benefit from a more inclusive system,” Scaffidi said.

Swanson responded through email that they believed the ISO was a priority for the government.

“I am raising the alarm that this jeopardizes our success. We look forward to finding a solution as soon as possible,” she said.

The Canadian Press reached out to Freeland’s representatives but did not receive comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2023.

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