The Filmmakers

Atom Egoyan on the creative freedom of making movies in Canada

A tease of the Oscar-nominated director's candid interview on the new CBC Arts series 'The Filmmakers,' which debuts this Saturday on CBC.

A tease of the director's candid interview on the new CBC Arts series 'The Filmmakers'

Atom Egoyan on the creative freedom of making movies in Canada

7 years ago
Duration 0:59
Watch The Filmmakers on Saturday nights at 8:30pm (9pm NT) on CBC Television, with a classic Canadian film following at 9pm (9:30 NT).

This weekend, Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter kicks off 11 straight Saturdays of classic Canadian on the CBC. But before the big show, Egoyan himself will sit down for a candid interview on the series premiere of The Filmmakers, CBC Arts' new film talk show. And in the above video, we're offering up a little tease...

Asked about working in Canada versus the United States, where many of Egoyan's colleagues have made permament moves, the director says that it's essentially about "money and a distribution system." 

"If you can kind of construct that elsewhere, and have total control, why wouldn't you go for that?" Egoyan muses. "It's always been my issue." 

Looking back at the The Sweet Hereafter, Egoyan says he has "no doubts" that that film would not have survived the testing process of the American system.

"I have no doubt that people would want more clarity, they would want it to be more linear, they'd want to know what they're supposed to be feeling..." 

Watch The Filmmakers on Saturday nights at 8:30pm (9pm NT) on CBC Television or stream it online at cbc.ca/watch, with a classic Canadian film following at 9pm (9:30 NT).