Telefilm Cancels Canada House Presence at SXSW Amid Political Tensions
Telefilm Canada, the Canadian federal government's film financer, has cancelled its Canada House event at the 2025 South by Southwest Conference and Festival amid cross-border political tensions.
Canada House at the Austin, Texas media festival has long been a meeting hub for Canadian content producers, musicians, film distributors and other industry players looking to network, forge international sales and secure funding from foreign partners.
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But SXSW this year coincides with a threat of a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S. from the Trump administration.
'Through the Canada House, Telefilm relies on partnerships to ensure financial viability. Unfortunately, due to the withdrawal of key financial partners, we have had to make the difficult decision to pause the Canada House, as we could not sustain the same level of investments,' Telefilm Canada said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Canadian film financier had no comment on the reasons for the withdrawal of support by traditional Canada House partners. Telefilm Canada hosts similar Canadian industry pavilions to showcase homegrown content and talent at the European Film Market in Berlin, the Cannes Film Festival, MIPTV and MIPCOM and the Toronto Film Festival, among other events.
Among the backers to pull support for Canada House at SXSW this year — generally by taking space in the pavilion — is the Canadian Independent Music Association, a professional organization for the Canadian independent music industry.
At the same time, Telefilm Canada will continue to help fund the Canadian Innovation Lounge at the 2025 SXSW festival.
'Telefilm remains committed to championing Canadian talent and celebrating their achievements at SXSW. We will continue to be present, supporting Canadian teams whose films/projects are selected, and engaging with the industry at the Canadian Innovation Lounge,' the federal government agency said in its statement.
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
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Trump booed and cheered at the Kennedy Center while attending 'Les Misérables'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The drama in the audience rivaled the spectacle on stage on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump went to the opening night of 'Les Misérables' as he tightens his grip on the venerable performing arts institution. It was his first time attending a show there since his election, and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside first lady Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past. Despite the condemnation, the event had a MAGA-does-Broadway feel. Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim leader of the Kennedy Center, was there, as were Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha. Before the show began, Attorney General Pam Bondi chatted with guests and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took selfies. Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist who has advised Trump on personnel decisions, posted a video from a seat near the stage. Trump walked the red carpet with the first lady when they arrived at the Kennedy Center, which he's been remaking in his image while excising what he describes as liberal ideology. 'We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,' Trump said. The Republican president has a particular affection for 'Les Misérables,' the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?,' is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king. The three-hour production featured singing and dancing, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the theater as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. 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Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including 'Hamilton,' have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by 'Les Misérables' cast members, but Trump said he wasn't bothered by anyone skipping the performance. 'I couldn't care less,' he said. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 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30 minutes ago
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump got a mixed reception at the Kennedy Center theater, where he watched the opening night performance of "Les Misérables" on Wednesday evening, but the boos and jeers were soon drowned out by chants of "USA". Trump waved and clapped as he entered the theater to the sound of both cheering and booing, a video posted to social media showed. A woman in another video can be seen shouting "felon" and "rapist" at Trump as another theatergoers urges her to "stop it". The president attended the performance with First Lady Melania Trump. .@realDonaldTrump gets cheered and booed at the Kennedy Center. — Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) June 11, 2025 "I couldn't care less" is what @realDonaldTrump said when asked what his response was to some Les Mis cast and crew potentially boycotting his attendance at the @kencen tonight This was the reaction to him walking in - a mix of cheers and boos More on @wusa9 — 𝙆𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚 𝙇𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙤 (@KatieLusso) June 12, 2025 This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
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43 minutes ago
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Shouts of ‘felon' and ‘we love you': Inside Trump's charged visit to the Kennedy Center
President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center's opening night of 'Les Misérables' – with a greeting of cheers and boos, drama at intermission and drag queens in the audience. When the lights came on after the end of the first act Wednesday, many people cheered and clapped as the president and First Lady Melania Trump stood up. But a woman below, seated in the orchestra section, started yelling: 'Felon, you're a convicted felon.' As cheers died down, and Trump walked out, her voice became clearer: 'Convicted felon, rapist!' A security guard quickly approached, appearing to escort her out. As the crowd waited anxiously for Trump to return to his seat, someone yelled out: 'F**k Trump,' and the crowd responded by cheering and clapping loudly. Some yelled out: 'We love you.' Others booed, and then an even louder cheer erupted when Trump appeared again. 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It's a beautiful, beautiful location that has been part of our country for a very long time, and I think it should just be dedication to the arts as it was meant to be.' The performers, who did not make any sort of statement about Trump's presence during the show, received a standing ovation from the audience. Trump and the first lady stood and clapped, as well as the entire presidential box, which included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and Kellyanne Conway, among others. Trump left before the lights came back on. Before the show, the president and Melania Trump attended a VIP reception hosted by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees intended to raise money to revamp the building. Gold sponsors of the event were asked to contribute $2 million for 10 premier seats, a photo opportunity with Trump and 10 tickets to the VIP reception. Silver sponsors were expected to pay $100,000 for a photo opportunity with Trump, performance seating and two tickets to the VIP reception. At the red carpet ahead of the performance, Trump said that $10 million had been raised for the Kennedy Center. Trump has taken purposeful steps to reshape power at the Kennedy Center, installing allies on the board who elected him chairman. That includes his chief of staff Susie Wiles, Usha Vance, Bondi, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's wife, Allison. He also appointed Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, as well as 'God Bless the USA' singer Lee Greenwood. 'We're going to make it incredible,' Trump said on the red carpet before the show. 'We have all the funding — we raised a lot tonight. We'll put it — lot of money, we're going to bring it back to the highest level, higher than it was ever before.' Trump was asked while entering the venue about a previous CNN report that at least 10 to 12 cast members planned to boycott the performance due to his appearance. While it was not immediately clear how many cast members followed through on those plans, Trump said he was unbothered. 'I couldn't care less, honestly I couldn't,' he replied. 'All I do is run the country – well.'
