5 Feet of Fury

How Canadian arts funding really works

An insider writes:

This is exactly where you and every other supporter of Canadian arts and film blows their argument. These are – not – our stories. Our stories as a nation would never be funded. If they were our stories people would see them. That’s how that works.

No, these are the stories of a fringe group of largely well-off white, liberal elites in the Toronto, Vancouver arts scene. That is why they are terrified about losing funding…because then they would have to tell our stories which is exactly what they do – not – want to do.

I know of no great number of people that can see themselves in the culture of Atom Egoyan or Don McKellar. In politically correct junk films like Where the Truth Lies, Breakfast with Scot or Monkey Warfare.

Think of all of the stories in Canadian history that have never been captured on film so that Polley and Egoyan and their pals can tell stories of the latest white latte Toronto sexual hangups?

The system needs to change because we are – not – getting our stories through. They are being blocked by the Polleys and the Egoyans. Yes there are some exceptions, but by and large they are just that…exceptions.

As for Polley’s wealth…yes, she does work for her money. In commercial American (Dawn of the Dead, Go) films for which she earns a fat paycheck, trashes them, then claims poverty to the Canadian public.

She can make whatever film she wants, but she should not get one dime of taxpayer money to do it.