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JOINING AS A DIRECTOR 

 

Membership to the Directors Guild of Canada is at the sole discretion of the DGC.

  1. You have a signed Director’s contract from a DGC Signatory production.

OR

  1. You have Directed at least one feature film that is a minimum of 75 minutes long or 75 minutes worth of short films that have been programmed within the last 5 years in at least two film festivals that are on the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television Eligible Festivals & Online Platforms list. Click here to find the list.

OR

  1. You have a Director credit for at least 75 minutes of commercially exhibited or theatrically released content. In order to be considered commercially exhibited, the work must have been broadcast by a national broadcaster that is licensed by the CRTC or a streamer (click here to find the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television list of Eligible Festivals & Online Platforms), and you have either a licensing agreement or commissioning agreement with them from within the last 5 years. In the case of a theatrical release, the work must have been released through a recognized distributor into theatres to a paying audience within the last 5 years. In either case, the production(s) must be in either scripted drama or comedy, or documentary formats. Program categories that do not qualify include: News, music videos, sports, reality tv, variety, game shows, human interest, corporate videos, etc. Click here for program category descriptions.

AND

  1. You are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

 

 

Dues

There is a one-time initiation fee of $2,500 and annual dues of $750. Annual dues can be paid all at once or quarterly ($187.50*). At the time of joining, you must pay the full initiation fee plus one quarter annual dues. The remaining balance will be subject to the deadlines of the quarterly dues payment schedule.

New Member Fee: $2,500

Annual Dues: $750 (can be paid $187.50 a quarter)

Payment when joining: $2,500 + $187.50 = $2,687.50

*Note: For 2025, DGC National has reduced the annual dues to $700.00 (or $175 quarterly) for Full Members.  The total amount due upon joining is now $2,675.00.

Application

1. Download the National Application Form here.

2. Review Appendix A for a list of the mandatory courses and certificates required for Ontario Membership. 

3. The Individual RRSP form and NRSP form (BOTH of which must be completed and included with the application). Membership includes becoming part of a group retirement savings plan. These forms must have the original pen and paper signature and must either be mailed or dropped off to your local DGC office. If you are incorporated, you must also complete the NRSP Corporation form. For details and information on filling these forms out correctly, please review the FOLLOWING PACKAGE. This must also have the original pen and paper signature and must either be mailed or dropped off at your local DGC office.

*For More information on the Canadian Entertainment Industry Retirement Plan (CEIRP), please check out the following links:
Information Booklet
How to Enroll 
Frequently Asked Questions
For further details, you can visit the CEIRP website: https://www.ceirp.ca/en

4. DGC Health & Welfare Trust Beneficiary Form for Life Insurance – you will need to complete and return the form to us (either mailed or dropped off at our office – cannot be scanned/e-mailed). This form must have the original pen and paper signature

Please send the completed forms to your local DGC District Council office.

Payment

Once your application is approved, your payment options are:

  • Online through your online banking system, by adding the Directors Guild of Canada as a payee. You will be asked for a Membership number, which can be requested by emailing membership@dgcontario.ca.
  • Credit card (Visa or MasterCard) by completing the authorization form and emailing it to membership@dgcontario.ca
  • In-person: Debit, credit, cash (exact change) or cheque issued to “Directors Guild of Canada.”
  • By mail: Please send a cheque to the Directors Guild of Canada

Attention: Member Services Department 

65 Heward Avenue, Building A, Suite A201 

Toronto, Ontario

Canada

M4M 2T5

Once you are accepted into Membership, you will receive a Membership package that will include: Membership number, RRSPs contact information, and Health and Welfare benefits enrolment package. You will also receive a welcome email connecting you to the director representatives nationally and in your region.

For questions about eligibility criteria and qualifications for joining the DGC as a Director, please contact the senior manager of the National Directors Division, Hans Engel, at hengel@dgc.ca.

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