telefilm canada
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR 25 MEDIUM TO LARGE SCALE FILM FESTIVALS – JANUARY 2025
Telefilm Canada is supporting 25 additional Canadian film festivals, under the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program (in its second round of decisions). A total of 50 film festivals are supported under this program in fiscal year 2024-2025 with 25 film festivals supported in the first round1. This second intake of the program represents an additional investment of $1.9 million.
Telefilm’s Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program provides financial support to long-established medium to large-scale Canadian film festivals that help promote Canadian films and talent and stimulate demand for our multiscreen content.
As a partner of choice, Telefilm is committed to advancing the development of the industry and reaching audiences where they are. Through this program, Telefilm supports film festivals across the country and remains committed to foster and support an industry that is representative of all communities in Canada. Further funding decisions will be announced later this year.
List of all medium to large-scale film festivals supported by Telefilm (starting between April 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025):
2025 Atlantic International Film Festival
2025 Calgary International Film Festival
2025 Calgary Underground Film Festival
2025 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival
2025 Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival
2025 DOXA Documentary Film Festival
2025 Gimli International Film Festival
2025 Hot Docs Festival
2025 ICFF – IncluCity Festival
2025 Images Festival
2025 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
2025 Inside Out Film Festival
2025 Lunenburg Doc Fest
2025 Ottawa International Animation Festival
2025 Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
2025 Vancouver International Film Festival
2025 Vancouver Queer Film Festival
2025 Yorkton Film Festival
Festival cinéma du monde de Sherbrooke 2025
Festival de cinéma de la Ville de Québec 2025
Festival du film de l’Outaouais 2025
Festival Fantasia 2025
Festival international de cinéma et d’art Les Percéides 2025
Festival international de cinéma Vues d’Afrique 2025
Festival International du Film Black de Montréal 2025
These funding decisions were made as part of the promotion program modernization, which began in 2021 in collaboration with the industry, to allocate funding more efficiently and transparently. As announced in September 2022, the promotion program has been segmented by the type of activity into different funding programs to better meet different needs and to meet clear criteria, and further refinements to the program have been done for this year’s program. For the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program, internal representatives evaluated the applications with the input of external advisors to ensure fair and equitable evaluations.
*One application was initially on hold at the time of the news release, was funded after the announcement of the first round of decisions.
About Telefilm Canada
As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual coproduction treaties to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Launched in 2012, the Talent Fund raises private donations which principally support emerging talent. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on X and on LinkedIn.
#FIRSTLOOK: “UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE” CANADA’S SELECTION FOR OSCARS INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Universal Language is representing Canada in the nomination process for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards®, to be held on March 2, 2025. The film is directed by Matthew Rankin, written by Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi and produced by Metafilms. It is being distributed in Canada by Maison 4:3. International sales are handled by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
“This year’s film submissions brilliantly showcase the exceptional talent that makes Canada shine. Universal Language by director Matthew Rankin has been selected by a jury of industry peers to represent Canada in the race for the Oscar® for Best International Feature Film,” says Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada. “This film is emblematic of our national cinematography: with the success it has enjoyed since its launch at Cannes, no matter what the language, it reaches audiences here and abroad. That’s the power of cinema! We wish Matthew Rankin, Sylvain Corbeil and the entire creative team the best of luck!”
“We are amazed by this improbable selection and we will do our very best to represent Canada at the Oscars,” said director Matthew Rankin. “Universal Language is an expression of very great collective joy between myself and my friends Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Sylvain Corbeil and all the beautiful and hilarious people who created this strange, triangle-shaped, Irano-Winnipego-Québécois brain which became our film, beh naamé doosti (in the Name of Friendship).”
Universal Language, which world premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, will have its North American premiere at TIFF on September 10, 2024. The film stars Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Pirouz Nemati, Mani Soleymanlou and Matthew Rankin.
As the appointed non-voting chair of the committee, Telefilm Canada organizes the annual pan-Canadian Selection Committee for Canada’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards®.
The vote was determined by a pan-Canadian committee of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations. Twenty-six films were submitted for consideration as Canada’s Choice this year. The committee met the morning of August 27th to select the film.
So far, nine countries have submitted their entries for the Best International Feature Film category. Last year, 88 countries submitted a film.
Key dates:
September 20, 2024 – Theatrical release date of Universal Language
October 2, 2024– Deadline for country submissions for the Best International Feature Film category
December 17, 2024 – Academy shortlist of 15 titles selected to move forward.
January 17, 2025 – Academy Award® nominations announced
March 2, 2025 – Academy Awards® ceremony
About Universal Language
Synopsis :
Winter. Somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg. Negin and Nazgol find a large sum of money frozen deep within the sidewalk ice and try to find a way to get it out. Massoud leads a group of befuddled tourists upon an increasingly-absurd walking tour of Winnipeg monuments and historic sites. Matthew leaves his job at the Québec government and embarks upon a mysterious journey to visit his estranged mother. Time, geography and identities crossfade, interweave and collide into a surreal comedy of misdirection.
Structured like a Venn diagram – at the point of confluence between Jacques Tati and Abbas Kiarostami’s Koker Trilogy – Universal Language is at once a diary film, an absurdist city symphony and a welling-up of confinement-era emotion exploring the mysterious interzone where one person ends and the rest of the world begins. An elusive, half remembered dream of home, solitude, our responsibilities to others and the wild turkeys that haunt us.
About Canada in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars®
In the history of the Oscars®, eight Canadian films have been official nominees in the Best International Feature Film (formerly known as the Best Foreign Language Film category): in 2013, Rebelle, by Kim Nguyen; in 2012, Monsieur Lazhar, by Philippe Falardeau and In Darkness, by Agnieszka Holland (a minority coproduction with Poland and Germany); in 2011, Incendies, by Denis Villeneuve; and, in 2007, Water, by Deepa Mehta. The list also includes three films by Denys Arcand: Le Déclin de l’empire américain, in 1987, Jésus de Montréal, in 1990 and, in 2004, Les Invasions barbares, the only Canadian film to have won the Oscar® in this category.
About the selection process for the Best International Feature Film category
Telefilm Canada coordinates and chairs the pan-Canadian Selection Committee, without voting right. The committee comprises some 10 members representing key government agencies and national film industry associations. Each of them may appoint a representative to the jury, in accordance with Academy rules. It is responsible for choosing the film that will represent Canada at the Oscars®, which accepts only one film per country for the Best International Feature Film category.
Academy rules were modified in 2023, specifying that juries must include a minimum of 50% craftspeople that are currently active in the film industry. Jury members must screen all submissions before participating in a virtual conference to evaluate and vote on which film will best represent Canada at the Oscars®. Jurors are encouraged to consider the quality of the films, as well as their international competitiveness.
Submitted films must have been produced outside the United States in a language of at least 51% other than English and must have been theatrically exhibited in the submitting country for at least seven consecutive days between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024.
About Telefilm Canada
As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual coproduction treaties to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Launched in 2012, the Talent Fund raises private donations which principally support emerging talent. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Telefilm_Canada and on Facebook at facebook.com/telefilmcanada.
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA ANNOUNCE INVESTMENT IN 26 ENGLISH MARKET PRODUCTIONS – JUNE 2024
Telefilm Canada is announcing its investment of $14.1 million in 26 feature film projects in the English market under the Production Program in the low budget stream (including international coproductions).
Atlantic
Baby
Director and screenwriter: Jackie Torrens
Production: Peep Media Inc.
Province: Nova Scotia
Language: English
Blueberry Picking
Director and screenwriter: Sherry White
Production: Oversherry Productions Ltd.
Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
Language: English
The Shuttle
Director and screenwriter: Winston DeGiobbi
Production: Brass Door Productions Inc.
Province: Nova Scotia
Language: English
Quebec
Donde Comienza el Río (Where the River Begins)
Director and screenwriter: Juan Andrés Arango
Production: Midi La Nuit Inc. and Inercia Películas
Languages: Spanish (Colombian) and Emberá, Indigenous dialect
*Majority Coproduction Canada/Colombia
Moving Day
Directors: Caitlyn Sponheimer, Tamara Scherbak, Carol Nguyen, Kaye Adelaide, Jill Carter and Kim Barr
Screenwriters: Diane Janna, Tamara Scherbak, M.J. Kang, Kathy-Ann Thomas, Deydra Baptiste, Katrina Bertrand and Alex Feldman
Production: Cotton Bush Productions Inc.
Languages: English and French
Red Acres
Directors and screenwriters: Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer
Production: Slykid Inc.
Language: English
Ontario
Deathstalker
Director and screenwriter: Steven Kostanski
Production: Hangar 18 Media Inc.
Language: English
Homebodies
Director: Casey Walker
Screenwriters: Adrian Murray and Marcus Sullivan
Production: Cave Painting Pictures Inc.
Language: English
I Come Home
Director: Glen Wood
Screenwriter: Andreas Vatiliotou
Production: Viddywell Films Inc.
Language: English
Lunar Sway
Director and screenwriter: Nicholas Butler
Production: Cloudy Falls Pictures Inc.
Language: English
Morningside
Director: Ron Dias
Screenwriters: Joanne Jansen and Ron Dias
Production: Augusta Avenue Productions Inc.
Language: English
Nuur
Director: Lula Ali Ismail
Screenwriter: Hassan Ghedi Santur
Production: Good Question Media Inc.
Languages: English and Somali
Pocket Mirror
Director and screenwriter: Adrian Murray
Production: Ravenea Pictures Inc. and Silent Tower Inc.
Language: English
The Temple
Directors and screenwriters: Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis
Production: Babe Nation Creations Inc. and Lisa Pictures Ltd.
Language: English
They Echo
Director and screenwriter: Lu Asfaha
Production: Snail Mail Media Inc. and Defar Media Inc.
Languages: English and Swahili
UGLY
Director and screenwriter: Ed Gass-Donnelly
Production: 3 Legged Dog Films Ltd.
Language: English
Western Region
Grand Prairie
Director: Evan Prosofsky
Screenwriters: Evan Prosofsky and Chandra Melting Tallow
Production: Grand Prairie Film Inc.
Province: Alberta
Languages: English, Blackfoot (Siksika First Nation) and Carinthian German (Hutterite Colony)
Hair of the Bear
Directors and screenwriters: Alexandre Trudeau and James McLellan
Production: Hair of The Bear Films Inc. and HOTB Quebec Productions Inc.
Provinces: Manitoba and Quebec
Languages: English and French
One Perfect Date
Director and screenwriter: Lucas Frison
Production: Prairie Cat Productions Inc. and Megafun Productions Inc.
Provinces: Saskatchewan and Quebec
Language: English
Split Rock
Director and screenwriter: Ryan Glover
Production: Prowler Pictures Inc., Low End Inc. and Observer Effect Productions Inc.
Provinces: Saskatchewan and Ontario
Language: English
Stranger in Town
Director: Melanie Oates
Screenwriter: Patrick Whistler
Production: Goodbye Productions Inc.
Province: British Columbia
Language: English
The Bryce Lee Story
Director: Arnold Lim
Screenwriters: Connor Gaston, Arnold Lim and Kyle D’Odorico
Production: Blue Lake Films Ltd.
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Chinese – Cantonese
Minority Coproductions
Birthday
Director and screenwriter: Lara Zeidan
Production: Couronne Nord Inc. and Sevana Films
Province: Quebec
Languages: Arabic, English and French
*Minority Coproduction Canada/France
Idling
Director: Theodore Ushev
Screenwriter: Chris Robinson
Production: 9468-2713 Québec Inc. and PREMIER STUDIO
Province: Quebec
Language: English
*Minority Coproduction Canada/Bulgaria
Tahmina
Director and screenwriter: Aboozar Amini
Production: Greenground Productions Inc. and Silkroad Film Salon
Province: Quebec
Language: Persian
*Minority Coproduction Canada/Netherlands
Terra (Khak)
Director: Raha Shirazi
Screenwriters: Giovanna Giuliani and Raha Shirazi
Production: Borrowed Light Films Inc., Aeternam Films and Doppio Nodo Double Bind
Province: Ontario
Language: English
*Minority Coproduction Canada/France/Italy
Telefilm received an increasingly high volume of applications under the Production Program this year. In this first intake, 187 projects were assessed in the low budget stream including international coproductions, representing over $106 million in funding requests.
More funding decisions, including projects from the low budget Indigenous Stream will be announced in the coming weeks. Statistics on all films funded in the year will be released once all funding decisions have been made.
An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA ANNOUNCE SUPPORT OF MEDIUM-TO-LARGE SCALE FILM FESTIVALS – MAY 2024
Telefilm Canada is supporting 24 film festivals, under the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program (first round of decisions), for a funding total of $1.3 million.
Telefilm’s Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program provides financial support to long-established medium to large-scale Canadian film festivals that help promote Canadian films and talent and stimulate demand for our multiscreen content.
As a partner of choice, Telefilm is committed to advancing the development of the industry and reaching audiences where they are. Through this program, Telefilm supports film festivals across the country and remains committed to
equity, diversity, and inclusion to foster and support an industry that is representative of all communities in Canada. Further funding decisions will be announced later this year.
List of all Medium to Large-Scale film festivals supported by Telefilm (starting between October 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025):
·2024 Devour! The Food Film Fest
·2024 Forest City Film Festival
·2024 IFFSA Toronto
·2024 image+nation. festival
·2024 Reelworld Film Festival
·2024 St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival
·2024 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
·2024 Vancouver Asian Film Festival
·2024 Whistler Film Festival
·2024 Windsor International Film Festival
·2025 Available Light Film Festival
·2025 Halifax Black Film Festival
·2025 Kingston Canadian Film Festival
·2025 Toronto Black Film Festival
·2025 Victoria Film Festival
·Carrousel International du Film de Rimouski 2025
·Festival de films francophones CINEMANIA 2024
·Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue 2024
·Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie 2024
·Festival international du film pour enfants de Montréal 2025
·Festival International du Film sur l’Art 2025
·Festival REGARD 2025
·Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma 2025
·Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal 2024
These funding decisions were made as part of the promotion program modernization, which began in 2021 in collaboration with the industry, to allocate funding more efficiently and transparently. As
announced in September 2022, the promotion program has been segmented by the type of activity into different funding programs to better meet different needs and to meet clear criteria, and further refinements to the program have been done for this year’s program. For the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program, internal representatives evaluated the applications with the input of external advisors to ensure fair and equitable evaluations.
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA INVESTS IN 13 NEW PROJECTS IN ENGLISH MARKET – MAY 2024
Telefilm Canada is announcing its investment of $26.4 million in 13 projects in the English market under the Production Program, as part of the first round of decisions in the big budget stream including international coproductions.
111 (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Mauro Mueller
Production: Auguste Content Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Nova Scotia
Languages: English, German and French
*Switzerland/Canada coproduction
Dear World (drama)
Director: Kim Nguyen
Screenwriters: Lara Alameddine and Kim Nguyen
Production: Item 7 Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Quebec
Language: Mainly in Arabic
Dreams of the Moon (family drama)
Director: Alfons Adetuyi
Screenwriter: Dennis Foon
Production: Big Nickel Films Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
*Canada/South Africa coproduction
Heather of the Valley (comedy)
Director: Sheri Elwood
Screenwriter: Kate Spurgeon
Production: First Generation Media Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
*Ireland/Canada coproduction
Holy Days (family comedy)
Director and screenwriter: Nathalie Boltt
Production: Snow Globe Pictures Ltd.
Distribution: Photon Films
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Māori
*New Zealand/Canada coproduction
House of Stairs (science fiction)
Director: Wi Ding Ho
Screenwriter: Matthew McInerney-Lacombe
Production: Band With Pictures Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Quebec
*Canada/Belgium/France coproduction
In Alaska (drama)
Directors and screenwriters: Jaap van Heusden and Vincent Karetak
Production: Experimental Forest Films Inc. and Uuktumiaq Studios Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Inuktitut
*Netherlands/Canada coproduction
In the Heart of the South (drama)
Director: Nyla Innuksuk
Screenwriters: Ryan Cavan and Nyla Innuksuk
Production: Sphere Media Toronto Inc. and Mixtape VR Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
Mizeria (comedy)
Director and screenwriter: Eva Michon
Production: Film Forge Productions Inc.
Distribution: Photon Films
Province: Ontario
Languages: English and Polish
*Belgium/Poland/Canada coproduction
The Falling Man (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Mathieu Denis
Production: Rhombus Media Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
Languages: English and Spanish
The Keeper (thriller)
Director: Helen Shaver
Screenwriter: Graeme Manson
Production: Screen Siren Pictures Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: British Columbia
The Stunt Driver (comedy)
Director and screenwriter: Michael Dowse
Production: Film Cardinal Inc.
Distribution: Mongrel Media
Province: Quebec
*Ireland/Canada coproduction
Together (thriller)
Director: Colm McCarthy
Screenwriters: Mike Carey and Camille Gatin
Production: Omni Film Drama Development Ltd.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: British Columbia
*Canada/UK coproduction
Telefilm received an increasingly high volume of applications under the Production Program this year. In this first intake, 57 projects were assessed in the big budget stream including international coproductions, representing $128.5 million in funding requests. Telefilm met with all the teams from each of the projects. A shortlist was then created, and clients were informed before Berlinale. The project submissions were considered by the Advisory Committee.
More funding decisions, including projects from the lower budget streams in the English market, will be announced in the coming weeks. Statistics on all films funded in the year will be released once all funding decisions have been made.
An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA ANNOUNCE 2024-2027 STRATEGIC AND CORPORATE PLANS
Telefilm Canada is proud to release its strategic and corporate plans for 2024-2027. The result of a rigorous and participatory collaborative process with the industry and taking into account important challenges, these plans will guide the organization’s actions to maximize its impact for the greatest benefit of the sector and audiences. Over the next three years, Telefilm will bring its vision to fruition through a series of concrete, measurable initiatives based on the following three strategic priorities:
-Conduct a strategic review of its programs and initiatives to maximize its impact on the industry and the public
-Evolve organizational culture and optimize operational efficiency
-Play a leading role in the modernization of the audiovisual sector with its various partners.
These priorities are guided by Telefilm’s ongoing commitment to supporting the audiovisual industry through direct investments in films, the administration of Canada Media Fund programs and by recommending international audiovisual coproductions.
“At Telefilm Canada, we are proud to promote and celebrate stories that reflect the diversity of voices and communities that make up Canada today,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada. “Feature films are the epicentre of our relationships with partners and audiences at home and abroad. They transcend cultural, social and linguistic borders, inviting us to explore our shared humanity and in doing so bring us closer together. It is with a determination to strengthen the mobilizing power of Canadian and Indigenous cinema that we present our 2024-2027 strategic plan.”
#FIRSTLOOK: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA OFFERS $100 MILLION IN FUNDING TO TELEFILM CANADA
Today, the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the renewal of the additional funding of $100 million over two years for Telefilm Canada, starting in the fiscal year 2024-2025.
“We welcome this news with enthusiasm, as Telefilm Canada continues to champion the industry that is passionately dedicated to the advancement of Canadian and Indigenous cinema.
“We extend our gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage for their collaboration, as well as their timely and essential contribution to our sector, especially as the industry is gaining momentum and mobilizing its efforts to be competitive and viable.
“For the past several months, the industry has consistently advocated for the renewal of the additional funds to be allocated to Telefilm. The collective effort of our sector plays an invaluable role in shaping the future of Canadian and Indigenous cinema. Thank you for voicing your support.
“Moving forward, we will continue with a collaborative spirit with Canadian Heritage and our industry partners to foster a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable screen industry.”
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA TO SUPPORT 19 ADDITIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
Telefilm Canada is supporting 19 additional Canadian film festivals, under the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program (second round of decisions), for a total of 44 festivals supported under this program this year (25 film festivals were supported through the first round). This second intake of the program represents an additional investment of $1.78 million, bringing the total to $3.46 million.
These decisions were made as part of the promotion program modernization, which began in 2021 in collaboration with the industry, to allocate funding more efficiently and transparently. As announced in September 2022, the promotion program has been segmented by the type of activity into different programs to better meet different needs and to meet clear criteria. For the Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program, internal representatives evaluated the applications with the input of external advisors to ensure fair and equitable evaluations.
Telefilm’s Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program provides financial support to long-established medium to large-scale Canadian film festivals that help promote Canadian films and talent and stimulate demand for our multiscreen content. As a partner of choice, Telefilm is committed to advancing the development of the industry and reaching audiences where they are. Through this Program, Telefilm supports film festivals across the country and remains committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion to foster and support an industry that is representative of all communities in Canada.
List of all Medium to Large-Scale film festivals supported by Telefilm in this second intake of the program (festivals starting April 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024):
Festival cinéma du monde de Sherbrooke 2024
2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival
2024 Hot Docs Festival
Festival Fantasia 2024
Festival international de cinéma Vues d’Afrique 2024
Festival de cinéma de la Ville de Québec 2024
2024 Atlantic International Film Festival
2024 CaribbeanTales International Film Festival
2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival
Festival international de cinéma et d’art Les Percéides 2024
2024 ICFF – IncluCity Festival
2024 Images Festival
2024 Calgary International Film Festival
2024 Vancouver Queer Film Festival
2024 Edmonton International Film Festival
2024 Vancouver International Film Festival
2024 Inside Out Film Festival
Festival International du Film Black de Montréal 2024
2024 Gimli International Film Festival
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA AND THE TALENT FUND ANNOUNCE PROJECTS IN “TALENT TO WATCH” PROGRAM
Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are welcoming 18 new filmmaking teams with this year’s selection of projects in the Talent to Watch Program. The lineup presents films from across the country, covering both English and French markets, as well as the Indigenous Stream. A commitment of $3.6 million will be invested into these projects by Telefilm and the Talent Fund.
“Films from the Talent to Watch Program consistently shine a spotlight on emerging talent spread across the country,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada. “The opportunity we give to propel their careers as filmmakers and establish themselves amongst our nation’s vibrant film community is one we take pride in. This year’s selections present a dynamic range of cinematic gems, and we cannot wait to see the final product.”
“Investing in the next generation of filmmakers is at the heart of the Talent Fund, and we are honoured to support this year’s cohort on their first feature journey,” said Sandi Treliving, Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Committee. “Through the generosity of our donors, like the continued support from the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists and a new contribution from Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, these emerging filmmakers are given a chance to bring their distinctive visions into reality. Canada is full of incredible talent with stories that need to be seen and heard – and the Talent Fund will continue to ensure that happens.”
Film teams and their projects come from coast-to-coast-to-coast, with projects from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Alberta and more. There is also a strong linguistic diversity in this year’s selections, with films told in majority Spanish, Farsi, Wayuunaiki, in addition to English and French. Overall, 126 projects were submitted to the Talent to Watch Program for 2023-2024.
This year’s films are:
A Cree Approach (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Tristin Greyeyes
Producers: Kaitlyn Redcrow and Tristin Greyeyes
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Nehīyaw (Plains Cree)
Stream: Indigenous Stream
Partner organization: imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Autonomy & Dignity (Working Title) (Documentary)
Directors: Daniel Ennett and Frederick Kroetsch
Screenwriter: Daniel Ennett
Producer: Rebecca Campbell
Province: Alberta
Language: English
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Directors Guild of Canada
Blue Heron (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Sophy Romvari
Producers: Ryan Bobkin and Sara Wylie
Executive Producer: Riel Roch Decter
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Hungarian
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Con Nhang I Enfants d’encens (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Eva-Loan Ponton-Pham
Producer: Marie-Michèle Cyr
Province: Québec
Languages: French and Vietnamese
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: HotDocs
El Padrote (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Andrés Estrada
Producer: Irène Bessone
Province: Québec
Language: Spanish
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Foreigner (Horror)
Director/screenwriter: Ava Maria Safai
Producer: Nicco Graham
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Farsi
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Her Last Supper (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Becca Willow Moss
Producers: Becca Willow Moss and Stephanie Chiasson
Province: Ontario
Languages: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Invisibles (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Junna Chif
Producers: Leslie Dabit and Pierre Villepelet
Executive Producers: Laurent Allaire, Yanick Létourneau and Junna Chif
Province: Québec
Language: French
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema – Concordia University
Joan’s Kitchen Table: Stirring the Revolution (Documentary)
Director: Olesya Shyvikova
Screenwriter: Louise Delisle
Producer: Karim Kafafy
Executive Producer: Walter Borden
Province: Nova Scotia
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
KUBANA (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Alunaya
Producer: Will Prosper
Province: Québec
Languages: English, French and Kinyarwanda
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Last Stop Video Rentals (Comedy)
Director/screenwriter: Eric Janvier
Producer: Megan Shott
Province: Alberta
Language: English
Stream: Indigenous Stream
Mute Out Sound (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Kenza Derkaoui
Producer: Stefan Supplice
Province: Ontario
Languages: French, English, and Arabic (Darija)
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Séga : la musique de l’océan Indien (Working Title) (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Vincent Toi
Producer: Guillaume Collin
Province: Québec
Language: French
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Main Film
Strong Son (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Ian Bawa
Producers: Ian Bawa and Markus Henkel
Executive Producer: Kyle Bornais
Province: Manitoba
Languages: English and Punjabi
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: TIFF, Winnipeg Film Group, and OnScreen Manitoba
The Snake (Dark Comedy)
Director: Jenna MacMillan
Screenwriter: Susan Kent
Producers: Sharlene Kelly
Province: Prince Edward Island
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
The Wind’s Thirst (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter/producer: Alejandro Valbuena
Province: Ontario
Languages: Wayuunaiki, Spanish, and English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Women of No Nation (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Diana Saqeb Jamal
Producer: Caroline Cox
Province/Territory: Northwest Territories and Alberta
Languages: Farsi and English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Yo, We’re Dying… (Comedy)
Directors: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon and Jay Carolyn Wu
Screenwriter: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon
Producer: Fonna Seidu
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.
#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA SELECTS 13 NEW FEATURE-LENGTH ENGLISH FILMS
Telefilm Canada is announcing its funding commitment to 13 feature-length films in the English market under the Production Program (as part of the second round of decisions in the low budget minority co-production and big budget streams), for a total of $6 million.
Earlier this spring, Telefilm announced the selection of 12 feature-length film titles in the English market.
Anorgasmia (drama)
Director: Jon Gustafsson
Screenwriters: Karolina Lewicka and Jon Gustafsson
Production: Great Canadian Film Factory Inc.
Province: Manitoba
*coproduction Canada/Iceland
Death Has No Master (La Muerte No Tiene Dueño) (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Jorge Thielen Armand
Production: La Faena Films Inc.
Distribution: Game Theory Films
Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/France/Venezuela/Mexico
Granny Lee (drama)
Directors: Gabe Gabriel and Ian Gabriel
Screenwriter: Gabe Gabriel
Production: Fae Pictures Inc.
Distribution: Noble Arts Inc.
Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/South Africa/Ireland
Julián (drama/animation)
Director: Louise Bagnall
Screenwriter: Juliany Taveras
Production: Julian Aircraft Productions Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/Ireland
The Myth of a Real Man (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Lee Filipovski
Production: Karma Film Inc.
Province: Saskatchewan
*coproduction Canada/Serbia/Bulgaria
Neverman (drama)
Director: Rodrigo Barriuso
Screenwriters: Rodrigo Barriuso and Kyah Green
Production: Hawkeye Pictures Inc.
Distribution: Sphere Films
Province: Ontario
Réveillon (historical drama)
Director: Michal Kunes Kováč
Screenwriters: Maroš Hečko, Tomáš Dušicka, and David Cormican
Production: DC Republic Productions Inc.
Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/Slovakia
Sick Heart River (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Graeme Maley
Production: 10614726 Canada Inc. and Vieille Amérique Inc.
Province: Quebec
*coproduction Canada/Iceland
Strangers in the Night (a.k.a. My Private War Criminal) (historical drama)
Director and screenwriter: Ivona Juka
Production: Quiet Revolution Pictures Inc.
Province: Ontario
*coproduction Canada/Croatia
Takotsubo (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Miki Polonski
Production: art et essai Inc.
Province: Quebec
*coproduction Canada/Israel
Things That You Kill (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Alireza Khatami
Production: Things That You Kill Inc. and Band With Pictures Film Inc.
Provinces: Ontario and Quebec
*coproduction Canada/France
Untitled Matt Johnson Project (comedy)
Director: Matt Johnson
Screenwriters: Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol
Production: Zapruder Films Inc.
Distribution: Elevation Pictures
Province: Ontario
Yunan (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Ameer Fakher Eldin
Production: Microclimat Films Inc.
Distribution: Filmoption International
Province: Quebec
*coproduction Canada/Germany
More production funding decisions will be announced in the coming weeks. Statistics on all films funded in this fiscal year will be released once all funding decisions have been made.
An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.
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