Telefilm Canada – Production Program

ByMaurice

Description:

This program supports Canadian production companies looking to finance the production and/or post-production stage of their feature film project(s).

Comments on Funding:

Telefilm’s financing may not exceed:

  1. For projects whose Canadian budget is less than $1.5 million: the lesser of 49% of eligible Canadian production costs or $500,000;
  2. For projects whose Canadian budget is between $1.5 million and $3.5 million: one third of eligible Canadian production costs;
  3. For projects whose Canadian budget is greater than $3.5 million:
    a) the lesser of 49% of eligible Canadian production costs or $3.5 million for French-language projects;
    b) the lesser of 49% of eligible Canadian production costs or $4 million for projects in other languages.

Generally, the form of Telefilm’s financial participation will vary depending on the total project budget and, in certain scenarios, s the producer’s choice from among the following options:
1) For projects with budgets under $2.5 million: choice between a non-repayable contribution or an equity investment repayable at a rate of 10% of the Applicant’s entitlement to the production revenues, for a period of two years from the starting date of the project’s commercial exploitation;
2) For projects with budgets of $2.5 million and above: Choice between a repayable advance or a repayable equity investment.

Telefilm greenlight financial participation will generally not exceed 80% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $250,000 and will be provided as an advance against Telefilm’s production financing. However, Telefilm may, at its discretion, consider granting a higher greenlight pre-production advance if the production financing is complex and time is of the essence to incur certain expenses. In such case, the greenlight financial participation may not exceed the lesser of:

  1. 80% of eligible costs;
  2. $500,000;
  3. 25% of the amount of financial participation indicated in the production commitment letter.
    A greenlight advance is only available at Telefilm’s discretion for higher-budget projects that have already received a commitment letter from Telefilm for financing in the amount of at least $1.5 million.

Eligibility:

The applicant must:

  • be a Canadian controlled corporation, as determined under sections 26 to 28 of the Investment Canada Act;
  • have its head office in Canada and carry out its activities in Canada,
  • operate as an audiovisual production company,
  • have Canadian citizens or permanent residents as producers and other key members of the production team exercising creative and financial control over the project.

Broadcaster-affiliated production companies based outside of Quebec that meet the basic eligibility criteria are eligible to apply.
Telefilm may prioritize projects whose key creative personnel (i.e. director(s) and/or screenwriter(s) and/or producer(s)) are members of communities supported through its Inclusion Initiatives: Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Gender-diverse identities and expressions, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, Persons with disabilities and members of Official Language Minority Communities.

Applications Steps:

1

Applicants must submit the appropriate application form, duly completed and signed, together with all required documentation, via Dialogue.

2

All documentation required to be submitted after the application is submitted must also be submitted on-line through Dialogue.

3

Applications for audiovisual coproductions recommendations must be done separately at the earliest of: 40% of the financing confirmed (exclusive of tax credits) or after an offer of financing from Telefilm has been received and, in all cases, no later than 30 days before the start of principal photography.

Documentation Needed:

Applicants must complete the online application form and upload the documents below:

  • Incorporation Certificate;
  • Most Recent Script;
  • Summary of Changes to Screenplay (if applicable) – for production applications only. A description of material changes to the script since its last production application to Telefilm.
  • Rough Cut (or equivalent before Picture Lock) – for post-production applications only.
  • Creative Completion Plan – for post-production applications only. A proposal that outlines the postproduction activities and explains how they will serve to attract the intended audience.
  • Director’s Vision statement;
  • Previous Work of Director(s), if applicable – A document including links to selected works and/or a curated selection of excerpts from works by the Director(s) to demonstrate aesthetic, expertise and capacity to realize the proposed vision.
  • Track Record Summary for all Producers, Directors and Screenwriters;
  • Cast List – Clearly identifying confirmed vs pending status and the nationality of performers.
  • Promotion and Marketing Plan for all projects where there is a distributor attached.
  • Summary of Audience Reach / Promotional Strategy;
  • Firm Commitment from a Canadian Distributor for applications where the production budget is $3.5M or more or a distributor is attached.
  • International Sales Agent Agreement(s) including 3rd Party Sales Projections – if a sales agent is attached.
  • Coproduction and/or Joint Venture Agreement(s) as applicable.
  • Declaration Form Designation of Main Applicant and Score Sharing If more than one Canadian applicant for the same project. (Form available on Telefilm’s website).
  • Details of All Confirmed and Projected Financing – fully executed commitment letters and short-form agreements are acceptable at this stage.
  • Production Budget;
  • Declaration of Costs Incurred and Paid to Date for all postproduction applications.
  • Description of Chain of Title – a complete description of the project’s development history, demonstrating clear chain of title.
  • Community Engagement Plan;
  • Sustainability Plan – optional;
  • Declaration Regarding Projects Submitted to the Indigenous Stream – for Indigenous Stream applications only;
  • Request for Additional Funding for Remote Location Shooting – for Applications submitted to the Indigenous stream where there is a request for additional funding for emote location shooting;
  • Request for Additional Funding for Capacity Building – for Applications submitted to the Indigenous Stream where there is a request for additional funding for capacity building.

Program Contact:

Production Program

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    About the author

    Maurice

    Maurice (Moe) Muise learned the ins-and-outs of government while an employee of the Government of Canada in Ottawa for 10 years. His current focus is helping small businesses in Ontario to identify and maximize government grants to grow their business. Click here to learn more about Moe’s background and how he can help your business.

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