Fantasia Fest President Responds After Staff Seeks To Unionize In Search Of Better Conditions
EXCLUSIVE: North America’s largest genre festival, Fantasia, is currently in full flow, but amid two Hollywood strikes, its staffers are speaking out about what they deem to be horror conditions.
“The SAG-AFTRA strike set the perfect tone,” one staff member told us this week after a petition for union certification was filed to represent about 50 workers at the Montreal event, which wraps Wednesday.
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Organizers told us today that talks would begin with workers’ representatives “shortly after the end of the festival.”
The three-week festival, well-liked for its informal and down-to-earth vibe, is known as a mecca for genre movies and filmmakers. Guests at the event have included Guillermo del Toro, John Carpenter, Eli Roth, Mark Hamill, John Landis, Robert Pattinson, Nicolas Winding Refn, Takashi Miike and Ti West. The festival’s standing is such that its Frontières program has cemented a seven-year collaboration with the Cannes market.
But many of the staff that power the venerable festival aren’t happy. We’ve spoken to multiple workers this week about their concerns.
Speaking to us on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, one staffer told us: “The pay issue on its own was enough for most people to seek change. On top of that, we’re paid as independent contractors rather than employees, meaning we’re paying more taxes on our already paltry earnings, no overtime, and there isn’t enough adherence to local labor codes.”
They continued: “Improving our material conditions is a top priority, but I think a cultural change is also in order. The Festival staff — relative to other film and cultural events in Montreal — is really young. This isn’t a coincidence. Most employees are either students, or recent graduates — young people desperate to get their foot in the door in this industry. The upper management takes advantage of how green their workforce is by paying them well below the industry standard, but expects industry-standard results. And when these expectations aren’t met, workers are routinely told their efforts are “amateurish” or “semi-pro.”
“I truly believe a union will be beneficial for all parties,” the disgruntled staffer continued. “There’s huge turnover year-to-year, but I think improved wages and working conditions will change that. The size and scope of the festival has grown exponentially over its 27-year history.”
A second source working at the event told Deadline: “The SAG-AFTRA strike set the perfect tone for Fantasia’s employees to band together and demonstrate that like every other facet of the film industry, film festivals are prone to exploiting their workers and relying on young, passionate, and eager staff who will work for next to nothing for the potential of opportunity.
“Fantasia is one of the longest film festivals in the world, spanning three weeks with no breaks. Passion and drink tickets do not pay the bills, and it is time for Fantasia and film festivals alike to step up and take care of the labor they so desperately rely on.”
The move at least raises the question of whether — emboldened by the two Hollywood strikes — workers at other festivals could follow suit.
Another Fantasia worker added: “This unionization effort has actually been in the works for months and just happened to line up with the SAG and WGA strikes. I think the timing speaks to an overall culture of exploitation in all facets of the film industry. Several other film festivals in Quebec have unionized recently (Quebec Cinema, Festival du Nouveau Cinema) but I think others on an international scale may follow suit as well.
“The staff at Fantasia is incredibly overworked during its 21-day festival run, and salaries are not up to scratch. We work through all three weekends of the festival. If you broke down how much we are paid as “independent contractors” by how many hours we worked, you’re looking at a pay range of around 5-7$ CAD / hour.
“We sincerely hope that the union will be able to be certified without contestation from Fantasia. Fantasia runs on the passion of its staff and it’s time for us to be fairly compensated for it and to be protected in the workplace.”
In response to Deadline’s request for comment about the frustrations among Fantasia workers, Pierre Corbeil, President and General Manager of the event, told us:
“The Fantasia International Film Festival is a non-profit organization, operating with limited resources while facing ever increasing production costs, especially in the context of high inflation which affects us all. Despite these circumstances, we hear the concerns of our colleagues – hosting a three week event can be taxing on our team. Our team members are always our priority and the festival intends to begin discussions with their representatives shortly after the end of the festival.”
The request for unionization was made on July 23 by the Travailleuses et travailleurs regroupés des arts, de la culture et de l’événementiel (TRACE), which is affiliated with CSN, the second-largest trade union federation in Quebec.
The expectation from union sources is that certification could come in a matter of weeks. If Fantasia were to contest the terms of the unionization, a tribunal could go ahead in September or October.
The festival sells tens of thousands of tickets each edition and has multiple private and public sponsors but nonetheless remains financially challenged, as the organizers spelled out.
Fantasia this week crowned Canadian thriller Red Rooms as Best Feature. Nicolas Cage was due to attend the festival to receive a lifetime achievement award but cancelled due to the SAG strike.
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