About audiovisual treaty coproduction

An audiovisual treaty coproduction is a feature film or television production that has been created by pooling creative, technical and financial resources of Canadian and foreign producers. Governed under the terms of a treaty, these productions are granted national status, and as such, are also eligible for federal tax credits and provincial tax credits and additional funding sources such as the Canada Media Fund and the Canada Feature Film Fund. In addition, in Canada, television treaty coproductions qualify for Canadian content quota for broadcasting, which offers Canadian producers greater opportunity for broadcasting their project on a Canadian network during prime viewing time, and for obtaining higher license fees for their productions.

Canada was one of the first countries to recognize the advantages of audiovisual treaty coproductions. These treaties have advanced the audiovisual industry in Canada, strengthening international ties in the cultural sector; and promoting and disseminating Canadian culture abroad.  Canada has been coproducing for close to 50 years and has treaties with 55 countries. From 2006 to 2015, Canada produced more than 643 audiovisual coproductions with total production budgets of close to $5 billion.

Canada’s Policy on Audiovisual Treaty Coproduction

The international coproduction environment has seen some significant changes in recent years due to technological advances and greater global competition for investment. In light of these changes, in 2011, the Government of Canada introduced Canada's Policy on Audiovisual Treaty Coproduction. This Policy seeks to focus Canada's approach to treaty coproduction and ensure that Canadians and the audiovisual industry achieve maximum benefits from government actions in support of treaty coproduction.

The Policy is another step in the Government's commitment to coproduction to position the Canadian audiovisual industry as a partner of choice. The Policy incorporates input from previous consultations with federal, provincial and territorial partners, as well as industry stakeholders' comments to set out the best direction for Government action in support of audiovisual treaty coproduction activity.

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