In a bid to cut costs and red tape for small cinemas, Vancouver-West End MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert is pushing to eliminate of a B.C. requirement that older movies be re-rated when they get re-released in a digital format.
Even with news that the province has lifted a restriction on liquor in cinemas, small cinemas still face significant business challenges, including the reclassification requirement. This means that if a film such as Snow White is re-released in a digital format, cinemas must pay to have Consumer Protection BC confirm its long-standing G rating. (See “Sun setting on small cinemas” – March 27.)
Chandra Herbert told Business in Vancouver that he raised the issue this week at the legislature in debate over Bill 31, the Motion Picture Amendment Act, which does not address the reclassification issue.
He added that he has also raised the issue with Consumer Protection BC and the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.
Chandra Herbert said he’s keen to remove red tape that is hurting B.C.’s small businesses.
“A couple hundred bucks here or there – that can add up over a year and small independent theatres in particular are challenged because quite often they want to show the film classic that has just been remastered into digital,” he said.
He added that he sees the changes as “common sense” and hopes they won’t be hard to achieve.
“Hopefully it could be a fairly simple fix because a rose is a rose is a rose and Snow White is Snow White is Snow White.”
