#FIRSTLOOK: TELEFILM CANADA FUND 20 FEATURE-LENGTH ENGLISH DOCUMENTARIES – JULY 2023

Telefilm Canada is announcing its funding commitment to 20 feature-length documentaries in the English market under the Theatrical Documentary Program, for a total of $5 million.

Under the same program, Telefilm announced the selection of eight feature-length documentaries in the French market last week. More on that here.

The Art of Adventure
Director and screenwriter: Alison Reid
Production: Free Spirit Films Inc.
Distributor: Game Theory Films
Province: Ontario
Language: English

Black Zombie
Director and screenwriter: Maya Després-Bedward
Production: Black Zombie Productions Inc.
Distributor: Raven Banner
Province: Ontario
Languages: English and French

The Death Tour
Directors: Stephan Peterson and Sonya Ballantyne
Screenwriter: Stephan Peterson
Production: H2LShiners Inc.
Distributor: Raven Banner
Province: Quebec
Languages: English, French, and Cree

Disco’s Revenge
Directors and screenwriters: Omar Majeed and Peter Mishara
Production: Disco Movie Canada Inc., 86 Media House Inc., and Elevation Pictures Corp.
Distributor: Elevation Pictures Corp.
Province: Ontario
Language: English

Dress for Excess
Director and screenwriter: Trish Dolman
Production: SILO Entertainment Inc. and Screen Siren Pictures Inc.
Distributor: Photon Films and Media Inc.
Province: British Columbia
Language: English

Ending it All
Director and screenwriter: Alan Zweig
Production: 52 Media Inc.
Distributor: National Film Board
Province: Ontario
Language: English

I Will Not Forget You (working title)
Director and screenwriter: Deanne Foley
Production: Odd Sock Films Inc. and Pearl Productions Inc.
Distributor: National Film Board
Province: Newfoundland/Labrador
Language: English

King Arthur’s Night
Director: John Bolton
Production: Let’s Get the Grail Productions Inc.
Distributor: levelFILM
Province: British Columbia
Language: English

The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman
Director and screenwriter: Bart Simpson
Production: Intuitive Pictures Productions Inc.
Distributor: levelFILM
Province: Quebec
Language: English

Monkey on a Stick
Director and screenwriter: Jason Lapeyre
Production: Sphere Media Toronto Inc.
Distributor: Sphere Films
Province: Ontario
Language: English

The Passion of Kurelek
Directors: Halya Kuchmij, Cordell Barker and John Paizs
Screenwriter: Halya Kuchmij
Production: Merit Motion Pictures Inc.
Distributor: Northern Banner
Province: Manitoba
Language: English

Plastic People
Directors: Ben Addelman and Ziya Tang
Screenwriter: Ben Addelman
Production: Plastic People Documentary Productions Inc.
Distributor: White Pine Pictures
Province: Ontario
Language: English

PostNatural
Directors: Brett Story and Ben Travers
Screenwriter: Ben Travers
Production: 90th Parallel Productions Ltd.
Distributor: Photon Films and Media Inc.
Province: Ontario
Language: English

Saigon Story
Director: Kim Nguyen
Screenwriter: Dimitri Katadotis
Production: Noble Television Inc.
Distributor: National Film Board
Province: Quebec
Languages: English, French, and Vietnamese

Saints and Warriors
Director and screenwriter: Patrick Shannon
Production: Ball Is Life Entertainment Inc., First Take Entertainment Ltd., and Grand Old Time Productions Inc.
Distributor: Game Theory Films
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Haida

Say it Loud
Director and screenwriter: Graeme Mathieson
Production: 1000374247 Ontario Inc.
Distributor: levelFILM
Province: Ontario
Language: English

Shifting Baselines
Director and screenwriter: Julien Elie
Production: Greenground Productions Inc.
Distributor: Acéphale
Province: Quebec
Languages: English, French, and Spanish

Taste of Longing
Director and screenwriter: Noura Kevorkian
Production: Saaren Films Inc.
Distributor: Game Theory Films
Province: Ontario
Language: English

The Visitors
Director and screenwriter: Carol Nguyen
Production: Metafilms Inc. and Portage Films inc.
Distributor: National Film Board
Province: Quebec
Languages: English and Vietnamese

Under Duress: Max Stern and the Nazi Art War
Director and screenwriter: Jamie Kastner
Production: C7 Galerie Productions Inc.
Distributor: Vortex Media
Province: Ontario
Languages: English and German

More funding decisions from the Production Program 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.