It’s tough out there for an independent cinema. Theatre­ going dropped off a cliff during the pandemic, and with the rise of films on streaming services, it’s never fully recovered. The country’s theatrical market is also one of the most consolidated in the world; in 2024, Cineplex accounted for 73 per cent of Canada’s box office share. Compare that figure to the US, the UK and Australia, where a single theatre chain has captured no more than 30 per cent of the market.

It’s equally tough out there for an independent film. “Theatrically, not that many films are finding audiences, period,” says Andy Willick, who owns two independent cinemas: the ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa and the Fox Theatre in Toronto. “A lot of small films are getting lost. For Canadian films, it’s that much more difficult.” Independent producers know this all too well and have to hustle harder than ever to get their projects seen on the big screen.

Take the 2024 movie Paying for It (Hawkeye Pictures, Wildling Pictures), based on Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown’s graphic novel about his experiences with sex workers. The producers used a DIY, slow-release micro-distribution model for the film: travelling from city to city, screening in independent cinemas, festival venues and some multiplexes, with director Sook-Yin Lee, Brown and cast presences as an added draw. Nearly nine months after its theatrical release, the movie is still being booked and filling venues.

In order to locate and get in touch with independent cinemas, the film’s producers worked with the Network of Independent Cinema Exhibitors (NICE), a group of indie cinemas across the country. NICE represents everything from “retro summer drive-ins to beautiful old heritage buildings to downtown art houses,” says Sonya Yokota William, NICE’s director.

“Independent cinemas in Canada have really come together, and we have a strong culture of supporting each other. We meet once a month on Zoom to talk about the state of the industry and our concerns, everything from building insurance to people throwing things at the screen during Minecraft movies,” says William.

NICE also has an active message board, one on which members are often asking where a certain film can be found, or who holds the rights. “Through my access to the message board, I noticed that theatre owners had really amazing ideas about, say, bringing out an old title to celebrate a special anniversary,” says Hawkeye’s Aeschylus Poulos. “Sometimes, that information wasn’t easy for them to track down.”

Enter NICE’s new Canadian Theatrical Marketplace: a digital database of Canadian films (marketplace.nicecinema.ca) that connects independent cinemas with their rightsholders (typically producers). With searchable categories like genre, theme, screening format, accessibility features and so on, rightsholders are responsible for uploading information about their own films.

“It’s not IMDb. It’s not run by Google or Amazon. It’s the filmmakers, the producers and the Canadian distributors themselves providing the information to keep these films alive. It’s like a digital Great Library of Alexandria for Canadian film.”

“There’s no central place where exhibitors can go to find out what Canadian films are out there, and the Canadian Theatrical Marketplace will fill that gap,” says William.

Cinema owner Willick is optimistic about the tool. “I think it could very well help us fill in holes in our programming, and to find films from different cultural communities and geographical areas more easily,” he says. “I hear from my peers across Canada that some of their most successful films are, for example, documentaries from someone who’s from their hometown. So if I can actually go into the database and find a doc that’s specific to where I’m located, that could work really well for both filmmakers and for theatres, because we’re connecting more directly.”

That direct connection is what independent cinemas do best. They often have deep roots and long histories in their towns, helping owners understand what plays well with their customers. From his experience with Paying for It, Poulos observes that “the people who own these theatres really know their audience and community.”

He contrasts this to the big players, which tend to only play movies with broad commercial appeal. “You go to a multiplex, and there are five to 10 films, and they’re often kid movies or action movies. They’re not necessarily thinking about their community and their local audience,” he says. “I think this database—having access to these Canadian stories—will really give rise to an opportunity for more films to get out there and find their audience.”

There are also plenty of other ways the database could be helpful. William plans to add a “curatorial aspect,” selecting and showcasing films that might be suitable for, say, an upcoming holiday or commemorative occasion. She also imagines it being used by exhibitors (or any other interested individual) in other countries “who want to explore the Canadian film landscape. Having one central place that people can look for films seems like a natural solution.”

Willick envisions an educational extension, where university professors use the database to find Canadian films that they can play in class. He also believes there’s a possibility streaming services might find it helpful for populating their catalogues with regional content: “You never know: streamers could go in and say, ‘We need some films from this area,’ or ‘We need this type of film,’ locate it, and contact the producer.”

Whatever the database evolves into or whoever uses it down the road, it’s significant that it’s laying the foundation for an even stronger partnership between cinemas and producers, who have every reason to stick together.

“It’s not IMDb. It’s not run by Google or Amazon. It’s the filmmakers, the producers and the Canadian distributors themselves providing the information to keep these films alive,” says Poulos. “It’s like a digital Great Library of Alexandria for Canadian film. I can’t believe it didn’t already exist.”