ABSTRACT
International co-productions play a vital role in the fi lm and television industries. As discussed, they exemplify the extent to which business networks connect producers and broadcasters on a global scale and impact directions in cultural policy, and vice versa. Co-production runs the gamut from offi cial treaty co-productions to co-ventures and non-treaty collaborations in fi lm and television production. Co-production covers all genres but is used for documentaries and dramas in particular. The production technology appeals to both commercial and public service broadcasters for pooling resources, accessing new markets and augmenting production budgets. According to the Head of Business Affairs at the CBC (interview with the author, May 25, 2006), co-production “allows programs to qualify as Canadian while leveraging up the production values that we can get . . . Also, in the global marketplace it allows us to tell international stories of combined Canadian and other location viewpoints” (n.p.).
