Sodec, supporting Quebec cultural industry in Canada and abroad

The Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) is a Québec cultural agency overseen by the Québec’s Minister of Culture and Communication. "SODEC’s mission is to promote and support the creative industries in Québec, to help them gain an audience and seize business opportunities within Québec, across Canada and internationally," said Élaine Dumont, General Manager, International Affairs, Exports and Film Marketing at the SODEC to Señal News. The corporation is instrumental in making businesses more competitive by fostering the export and distribution of their works and acts in four main fields of activities: cinema and television production, books and publishing industry, music and variety shows, art market, and fine crafts.

Within Quebec, SODEC supports cultural industries in the form of financial and equity investment and production tax credits, in addition to supporting every stage of a project from conception to exhibition. On the international level, SODEC is present in major international markets (MIPCOM, MIPTV, Cannes, Series Mania, TIFF, MIFA) and other events (Content London, Berlinale) where it coordinates umbrella operations and coproduction initiatives through the “Québec Creates” banner. "We promote and support Québec cultural industry’s work and facilitate networking between Québec creators and other countries' cultural industries. We also offer financial support to help companies export and distribute their works", detailed Dumont.

QUEBEC AND ITS EUROPEAN CONNECTION
Quebec is quite particular because its population is not French, not English, and not American, "and yet, we embody all these cultures at the same time which brings us a unique perspective," described the General Manager, International Affairs, Exports and Film Marketing at the SODEC. "Quebec has a strong cultural arts tradition that governments, no matter their allegiances, have always supported and nurtured. In this regard, we stand out in North America, and we share a natural connection with many European countries who do the same, and who also display a history of supporting culture. It’s nice to have that connection" she added.

Dumont also highlighted that Quebec content is doing very well in French countries, but they want to expand its reach. "I think we have a lot in common with Spain," affirmed Dumont. "And the Spanish language is beautiful, the Spaniard’s passion for it and for their culture is something we share in Quebec. For all those reasons, we wanted to come and explore Conecta F&E. We value smaller events where we have an opportunity to create real connections on a longer-term basis".

GLOBAL APPEAL OF QUEBEC CONTENT
Quebec content is very well received in Canada, audiences are big fans of what the Quebec creators do. "This has always been something distinctive about our market", said Isabelle Dessureault, MBA, Head of Delegation, Office of the Québec Government in Barcelona. Quebec content has also had some success with international distribution on different platforms. "In Spain, we have some Quebec return content on Netflix, on Amazon Prime, on Disney Plus, on Filmin, and not only in Spain. Good stories can travel and can find a new public," she asserted. "After two years of the pandemic, people realize that watching an authentic story, a story that can reach them with the emotion but very authentic, lets them travel. And it has been fantastic," added Dumont.

Quebec's stories have been selected by big festivals like Berlinale, Cannes Series, and Series Mania. Projects such as “Felizmente casados”, “Little dog”; “Fragile” y “Can you hear me” have been selling all over Europe and around the world. Dumont explained this success for two reasons, the 'nordicity' that Quebec might have in common with the Nordic countries, "that makes it very attractive and very specific" and the quality of people Quebec has. "I'm talking about directors like Jean-Marc Vallée, Denise Villeneuve, Xavier Dolan, and Philippe Falardeau, known worldwide and working in our films and in television series". Dumont has also mentioned the new generation of female and indigenous directors that are changing Quebec filmography. "Their point of view is very different. They're really strong and unique".

To illustrate the global appeal of Quebec content, Dessureault mentioned the series “Can you hear me” that currently is on Netflix. The series is about three young women from a modest backgrounds and addresses domestic violence. "It's endemic throughout the world, and I think a good example of a different coming from a director who deals with some hard realities".

QUEBEC PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Trio Orange is a respected producer providing scripted and unscripted content to broadcasters and platforms. It has gained international recognition with its first series, "Can you hear me? available worldwide on Netflix and last series "Last Summer of the Raspberries" was selected for its world premiere at Berlinale Series and at Series Mania for its French debut.

Quebecor Content creates, develops, acquires, and distributes distinctive, high-quality audiovisual content and formats, providing the consumer with a multiplatform experience via Videotron and TVA Group services promoting Quebec artists in Canada and abroad.

Merci Productions owned by the writer, director, and producer Michel Duchesnes, has produced some Michel's plays, among them his trilogy "Tricoté serré-Une petite laine". Michael is currently writing his 4th novelk "Expats".

Just for Laughs is a Comedy Festival that has featured top comedians from around the world, celebrating is 40th anniversary this year. The festival is world-renowned for the GAGS global TV hit, which has been sold in more than 200 territories and has more than 6 billion views on social media.

Encore International is the distribution arm of Encore and manages all the explorations rights to Encore's full content library for international content licensing and formats adaptations.

Comediha! is a leading creator and producer of premium-quality content for multiple platforms, including live performance, television, and film. The company has created “LOL”, a multi-award-winning, non-verbal sketch-comedy series, which has hit a global market, airing in 148 territories to date.