The Ontario Government has spun off the Ontario Film Review Board to a new agency, the Ontario Film Authority. This is an independent non-profit agency which will administer the Film Classification Act. In letters to distributors and retailers, it appears the only change is that fees are now payable to the agency instead of the government, and that there are taxes on some of those fees. According to a news release,
the OFA will:
- Offer the convenience of a single point of contact for the film and theatre industry
- Have more effective and efficient service delivery and enforcement
- Reduce the regulatory burden on the film sector and businesses
It’s not clear how the new agency will deliver these changes, since, at least for now, nothing is changing. In addition, the Film Review Board has operated at a profit for many years, and the government is now losing that income. However, the web site has received a long overdue update. Check it out here: http://www.ontariofilmauthority.ca/
Tim Covell 