Damaged by the pandemic, several Montreal festivals such as MUTEK, Cinémania and Montreal Complete Circus are worried about their future. On Tuesday, the management of 17 cultural gatherings in the metropolis urged governments to extend financial aid set up during the health crisis to ensure their survival.
In an open letter first published in the pages of Le Devoir (New Window) and then received by Radio-Canada, the undersigned organizations write that they have weathered the Covid years with the sweat of their brow, a feat which was made possible thanks to significant public sector investments.
They are now witnessing the aftermath of sudden crises that reveal the fragility of their structures and the exhaustion of their teams.
Inflation, fee increases, personnel issues: the signing festivals paint a bleak picture of the challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure the sustainability of their activities.
As we can see from the open letter, we are suffering from the devaluation of employment conditions in the cultural sector that has been observed for many years. The current funding no longer allows us to maintain the jobs necessary to carry out our activities properly. The situation has dramatic consequences for the future.
In a context where the special support offered during the pandemic has ended, our ability to provide rich programs and contribute to the workplace and economy is at risk, the organizations argue.
The signing directorates-general, which also include Pop Montréal, Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique, the Rencontres Internationales du documentaire de Montréal and the Festival TransAmériques, are therefore asking for financial support from the provincial and federal governments, as well as in to the City of Montreal in the coming years.
The dynamism of our festivals helps to assert Montreal as a unique Francophone cultural metropolis in America, they emphasize. It’s gratifying to find a large audience and, with them, stimulate the heart of Montreal’s cultural and artistic life. This solidarity deserves our and also your commitment.
Ministers arrested in the open letter, Pablo Rodriguez, Pierre Fitzgibbon and Mathieu Lacombe, and Mayor Valérie Plante did not immediately respond to Radio-Canada’s inquiries.