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First Cut Lab Canada 2026

Online editing workshop, November 10, 2025 to March 31, 2026

CALL FOR ENTRIES

(Producers/directors/editors of a narrative feature film at editing stage) 

First Cut Lab Canada 2026 is a consultancy program designed for 2 feature films in editing phase supported by Telefilm Canada. The selected teams (director/producer/editor) are offered a creative framework, both benevolent & challenging, where to open new perspectives and to explore the whole artistic potential of their films.   

Created in 2015, the First Cut Lab is managed by Tatino Films (Paris). Telefilm Canada’s agreement with First Cut Lab allows two teams to participate in the 2025-2026 edition.  

The lab will be conducted online over 2 days, and schedules will be adjusted to meet the needs of the selected projects, within the period from November 10, 2025, to March 31, 2026. The exact dates of the Lab will be chosen in agreement with each selected team to best answer the needs of their films. A preferred period for the Lab should be mentioned in the application form. 

Participants will screen their rough cuts in private sessions and receive expert feedback from three international film industry advisors and tailored advice from a consultant editor. The consultants and advisors will be chosen based on the profiles of the selected films. An overview of regular consultants can be found here.  

Once the workshop is over, the participants receive a report & a roadmap that can serve as guidance for further editing.   

The main goal of First Cut Lab is to foster the artistic potential of the selected rough cuts and, at the same time, to increase the sales, festival and circulation potential of the completed films.  

SUBMIT HERE

N.B.: Projects potentially interested in First Cut Lab Canada 2026, but that cannot provide video material by October 15, 2025 (e.g. because the principal photography of the film is not over, or because it has not taken place yet), should still fill out the application form and apply by this deadline. If eligible, they will be contacted by First Cut Lab to agree on a specific deadline to provide their video material.  

Admissibility Criteria 

To be considered eligible, a film must:  

  • Be a narrative feature length film financed in production or post-production by the Canadian Feature Film Fund or the Talent to Watch Program of Telefilm Canada.  
  • If the film is a coproduction, the director must be Canadian, and the film recognized as a majority treaty coproduction by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.  

Application Procedure 

  • Submit your application and the required material. All application materials and subtitles should be in English.
  • Applications must be sent to: Julie.marnay@firstcutlab.eu  
  • Video material with a minimum duration of 30 minutes and with English subtitles  
  • The video material submitted can be selected scenes, first assembly, or rough cut.  
  • The video is mandatory to be available via a streaming service password protected (e.g. Vimeo). No transfer services or cloud storage is accepted. 

Selection Procedure 

The selection process will be conducted by a committee at First Cut. 

The project should be a feature film with international potential – minimum length of 75 minutes. First Cut Lab has no specific fixed criteria in terms of content, and each project will be considered on its own merits. The main criteria for selection are the artistic & audience potential of the film, corroborated with the specific needs identified by the organizers in each project regarding the specificity of the First Cut Lab workshop.  

Projects should be new or recent. Projects should not have been presented at any public screenings. The project can be in different stages of post-production, though it is highly recommended to be in early editing phase. 

Participation Conditions 

Once a project has been selected, both director and producer should be available during the days of the Lab. The presence of the editor is recommended.  

Finished films that participated in First Cut Lab should mention First Cut Lab and display its logo in their credits. The following sentence should be mentioned in the credit list: “This project participated in First Cut Lab Canada 2026” together with the First Cut Lab logo and the Telefilm Canada’s logo. 

Promotion and Communications 
Telefilm Canada, Montreal 
DL-festivals@telefilm.ca 
1 800 567-0890