The Future of Festivals in WIndsor

I am proud of having been a part of Windsor’s Destination Development Committee - a committee that spent significant monies to research and prove, once and for all, that Windsor and Essex County should do more to support its festivals. I do, however, want to draw attention to a number of issues that need to be addressed if we’re ever going to be successful in accomplishing our mission.

Again, I have to declare my vested interest in both Downtown and the Windsor International Film Festival. Just as I have invested in property in the city centre because I believe that the future of Windsor lies in its Downtown, I have also invested my community service in the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) for numerous reasons including:

1. I believe that the future of Windsor’s tourism lies heavily with the number of people draw to its festivals which significantly contribute to distinguishing our city from that of any other

2. I am an avid movie fan who believes that Windsor is deprived of independent Canadian and international films due to the fact that conglomerates, with programmers, agents and bookers based in Toronto, control the programming of the silver screenings. These individuals have little interest or understanding of our market.

As an international Film Festival that has ties to Windsor and Detroit, WIFF is accomplishes our political leaders stated goals including:

- Municipal government’s Two Nation Destination, and our
- Federal counterpart’s slogan “The border connects us, not divides us”
- WIFF has numerous initiatives that reach far beyond its six-day festival including the 48 Hour Flick Fest, its educational component, and its monthly screenings.

In my opinion, many if not all festivals face obstacles related to the costs and bureaucracy of starting and maintaining these events including:
A. Professional fees to incorporate a non-profit or for-profit organization, obtain charitable status, and annual audits
B. Significant cost of due diligence related to insurance.
C. In order to qualify for future municipal funding, each festival will be required to become a member of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) at a cost of $131, and a member of the Canada South Festival Network (which has not held regular meetings in over a year, if not longer) at a cost of $200 plus $50 per additional event.
D. It is highly recommended that festivals also sign up for membership of Festival and Events Ontario which facilitates provincial listing, aids in provincial funding etc. Attending the annual conference is an additional cost but critical to success. Membership to FEO comes with a price tag around $200.
D. Windsor City Council has just adopted a new insurance policy that appraises each festival based on a far too simplified point system (the liability of an event serving alcohol with an attendance of 200 is equal to that of an event which draws 10,000 people). Estimated cost of $5 million liability insurance is in excess of $4,000 annually.
.E Provincial and Federal funding streams refuse to align their application processes. Cultural Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Telefilm Canada, OCAF, Trillium etc. all have a completely different application process - each of which require a considerable amount of time (many in excess of 50 hours) to complete, add or modify the application. (BTW, virtually all successful non-profit festivals receive a minimum 20% of governmental sponsorship funding. It’s an industry standard everywhere but Windsor!)

Basically, as a festival you’re having to raise over $10,000 cash as well as countless hours of professional services just to say "Hi, how do you do?"

I think it’s great that the City of Windsor has taken the first step (more like a giant leap) and recognized that festivals are a significant part of our tourism and economic future, not to mention the cultural and entertainment benefits we are derive. Now we need to begin focussing on the issues outlined above. These issues must be addressed if we are to move forward strategically. Whether it is through a festival ombudsman to help obtain public funding (a position that Ed Agnew successfully held for many years) or though any other creative means, this is a discussion that must begin right now!