Canada's documentary filmmaking community is up in arms as one of the nation's top commissioning editors, The Documentary Channel's programming director Michael Burns, has been let go.
Driving the controversy is the role of national broadcaster CBC in the firing. The CBC purchased majority control of The Documentary Channel having given assurances that the status quo would hold at the specialty broadcaster.
The National Film Board of Canada and the Documentary Association of Canada were intervenors regarding the takeover. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, Burns and his second in command, Sarah Whitehouse, were terminated two days before the official transfer.
Burns is revered as a champion of auteur-driven feature-length documentaries. He commissioned Jennifer Baichwal's critically-acclaimed Manufactured Landscapes, which screened last year at TIFF, and Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, which world premiered at TIFF on Friday.
In introducing Friday's screening, TIFFG CEO and festival co-director Piers Handling singled out Burns as the visionary behind the film and, without making direct comment on the firing, suggested his absence will be the Canadian industry's loss.
Burns' original concept was to commission Canadian directors to document their home-town or favourite city.
Driving the controversy is the role of national broadcaster CBC in the firing. The CBC purchased majority control of The Documentary Channel having given assurances that the status quo would hold at the specialty broadcaster.
The National Film Board of Canada and the Documentary Association of Canada were intervenors regarding the takeover. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, Burns and his second in command, Sarah Whitehouse, were terminated two days before the official transfer.
Burns is revered as a champion of auteur-driven feature-length documentaries. He commissioned Jennifer Baichwal's critically-acclaimed Manufactured Landscapes, which screened last year at TIFF, and Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, which world premiered at TIFF on Friday.
In introducing Friday's screening, TIFFG CEO and festival co-director Piers Handling singled out Burns as the visionary behind the film and, without making direct comment on the firing, suggested his absence will be the Canadian industry's loss.
Burns' original concept was to commission Canadian directors to document their home-town or favourite city.
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