FRIC Renamed RACCORD on its 20th Anniversary
On the eve of FRIC’s 20th anniversary last fall, the 80 members of the Front des réalisateurs du Canada adopted RACCORD as their organization’s new name: Regroupement des artistes cinéastes de la francophonie canadienne (coalition of Canadian Francophone filmmakers) as they proudly looked back on two decades of commitment and representation in helping the industry’s skilled creators flourish in every nook and cranny of the land.
genesis
The name change came at just the right time, according to board chair, Winnipeg director Pascal Boutroy. “We’d reached a level of maturity as an organization and had staked our rightful place in the Canadian media landscape with partners of choice,” he said. “Early on we used our name, FRIC (money), to provoke and to better plead our case.”
Winnipeg filmmaker Danielle Sturk is a founding member of the organization. She vividly remembers FRIC’s first steps. “Back then there were production companies outside Quebec that were organized, but the directors were not,” she said. “We needed an organization of our own to defend, negotiate, and demand our rights and share of the pie.”
Boutroy was also an early member of the board of directors before he became chair. “We lobbied hard to get the Canada Council for the Arts to appoint jury members from outside Quebec. It’s still a problem we’re facing today with Telefilm Canada, but we’re working on it,” he said.
Does Sturk think FRIC has had a positive impact on her career? “For one thing it motivated me to want to work in French. If FRIC hadn’t been there, I’m pretty sure I would’ve ended up working in English,” she said. “Instead it helped me to develop a sense of belonging, as a part of the growing family of successful Francophone filmmakers in this country.” Not to mention the opportunity to have written and directed the recent El Toro television series.
visibility
Acadian filmmaker, director Julien Cadieux, winner of the Best Franco-Canadian Film Award at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma 2024 Festival for Y’a une étoile, has been a member of FRIC/RACCORD for over twelve years. Right from the outset, he’s been involved as a member of the board of directors. “Of course my objective was to understand the ecosystem, but also to ensure that the voice of the Acadian queer community, my voice, was heard,” he said. But for him, it’s more than just an organization. “It reinforces my connection as a filmmaker in the French-speaking world,” he said. “It allows me to exchange with other like-minded people and feel less isolated in my métier.”
Members voted in favour of the name change at the Annual General Meeting last fall. FRIC is now RACCORD: Regroupement des artistes cinéastes de la francophonie canadienne (coalition of Canadian Francophone filmmakers). The new name aims to be not just more inclusive by using gender-neutral language, but also to make the organization’s mandate clearer within the industry.
RACCORD CEO Bruno Boëz is sticking to his goal of enhancing visibility and credibility. “Many people don’t know what we do. There’s still plenty of work we can do to increase awareness of what that is. And we continue to gain recognition, for example, thanks to extraordinary partners like the Government of Quebec,” he said. “The key to our success over the years has been to stand out as a national organization.”
There are also a number of recent partnerships that provide excellent opportunities for members to put their brands on the marquee. Last November, FRIC/RACCORD led a roundtable discussion on its organization and mission as part of the Cinémania Francophone Film Festival’s professional development component in Montreal. For directors like Julien Cadieux, visibility this close to broadcaster head-office territory is a godsend. “We absolutely must raise our profile in Quebec. Otherwise it’s out of sight, out of mind,” he said.
breakthroughs
While wrapping up shooting on Et maintenant? – his latest Telefilm-funded feature – Ottawa director Jocelyn Forgues took a moment to reflect on the impact FRIC/RACCORD had on the development of his career. “I was there at our very first Forum, what we called annual gathering 19 years ago. I got involved on the board of directors at the time we hired Jean-Pierre Caissie, our first CEO,” he said. “This made a big difference in finding funding sources. Up until then, it was up to us, the board members, to do the work on a voluntary basis.”
Forgues has taken part in a number of FRIC/RACCORD programs over the years, including Fauteuil réservé and, more recently, Plan séquence, in partnership with L’institut national de l’image et du son (L’Inis). “I’ve been able to develop some important links in the industry thanks to these programs,” he said. “It’s the networking through FRIC that actually enabled me to produce my feature films.”
As he looks to the future, Forgues applauds RACCORD’s commitment to supporting the next generation. “I've got two sons in the industry. I’m very pleased to see that RACCORD is diversifying,” he said. “Our membership now covers all the bases so I’m always comfortable asking questions on any point!” (Photo: Jocelyn Forgues on the set of Et maintenant? Photo credit: Alex Forgues)
Many other RACCORD members that have benefited from the Plan séquence program have also enjoyed recent success, including Marie-Claire Marcotte, whose very first feature film, Rêver en néon, has been getting rave reviews on the festival circuit.
challenges
Francophone organizations must be in continual funding mode to succeed. Bruno Boëz feels that the post-COVID recovery has been effective to that end, but we now need to find new ways of maintaining these services while also having to deal with inflation. “Fortunately, a three-year supplement from Canadian Heritage has enabled us to stabilize our activities,” he said. On the downside, he discovered that RACCORD is the only national Francophone organization that does not receive support from the Canada Council for the Arts. In fact, he has already brought this issue to the attention of the powers that be at the CAC.
Another key RACCORD concern is the way funding for Francophone projects is allocated to projects Canada-wide. As things stand, there’s a noticeable gap between funding envelopes for French and English projects. “We’re hard at work with the Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC) to rectify the situation,” Boëz said.
Of course, funding is definitely not just a national issue. According to Julien Cadieux, regional funding is also a major challenge. “There are plenty of worthy projects, but never enough provincial funding to support them all,” he said. “That’s why we’re really looking forward to seeing the NFB’s first-ever feature film project in Acadie.”
perspectives 2024-2025
The year ahead is a very busy one for RACCORD. Numerous initiatives have been put in place to celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary. Top billing goes to Le FRIC fait son festival (FRIC’s got a festival all its own), a project for circulating works produced by members at various festivals and cultural events across the country. RACCORD will also be joining the Québec Cinéma Tour, as well as offering members free tickets to industry events, including the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM).
