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FIRST LOOK – USA 2025 

Virtual , March 24 to April 11, 2025

CALL FOR ENTRIES

(Narrative and Documentary Features currently in post-production) 

Organized by Telefilm Canada and the Trade Commissioner Service of the Consulate General of Canada in New York. FIRST LOOK is an international export and sales initiative that provides a preview of 6 narrative features to the acquisition community in New York and Los Angeles.

DETAILS

  • This Call for Entries will be submitted through Dialogue Events. 
  • Please consult the User Guide to submit your application. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR APPLICANTS

To be considered eligible, an applicant must meet all of the following criteria: 

  • 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; 
  • producers and other key production personnel exercising creative and financial control over the project must be Canadian [1]; 
  • be searching for an international sales agent and/or an international distributor for the submitted project in the US market; 
  • if selected, be able to produce and deliver a pitch reel that includes excerpts of the project by mid-February deadline (exact date to be confirmed); and 
  • if selected, be available to present a pitch reel and participate in round table meetings during the virtual events that will take place from March 24 to April 11, 2025. 
  • if selected, be available to attend the Gotham Project Market – Producers Hub in New York in (Fall 2025).  

[1] “Canadian” means for individuals, a Canadian citizen within the definition of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the definition of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and for corporations, under Canadian control pursuant to the Investment Canada Act. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS

To be considered eligible, a project must meet all of the following criteria: 

  • be a feature length (75 minutes or more) film, fiction or documentary, in the post-production phase; to be released in late 2025 or in 2026. 
  • be produced or completed in French, English, an Indigenous language, or for artistic imperatives, in another language, must be subtitled if in a language other than English; 
  • be under the ownership of the Canadian1 applicant (including its copyright); 
  • be written by a Canadian [1] screenwriter; 
  • be directed by a Canadian [1] director; 
  • with respect to Canadian content certification, upon completion be either: 
    • certified by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) as a “Canadian film or video production” with a minimum of 8 out of 10 points under the provisions of the Income Tax Act; or 
    • recognized as a treaty coproduction by the Minister of Canadian Heritage; and 
  • be aimed primarily at the Canadian theatrical market, with a strong potential for international sales in the US market; and 
  • conform to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Code of Ethics and to all other programming standards endorsed by the CAB or the CRTC, and not contain any element that is libellous or in any other way unlawful. 

[1] “Canadian” means for individuals, a Canadian citizen within the definition of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the definition of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and for corporations, under Canadian control pursuant to the Investment Canada Act. 

SELECTION CRITERIA

Telefilm Canada will select 6 applicants to participate in this initiative. Decision-making will be based on qualitative information in order to select the projects with the best potential for success in the US market. The following criteria will serve as a guide, and no specific weighting will be attributed to each of the components: 

  • International track record of the applicant production company; 
  • International track record of the creative team; 
  • Creative elements of the project, including originality and quality of the synopsis; and 
  • The marketability of different elements of the film (e.g. renowned director, screenwriter, and/or performer(s), potential for success in the US, etc.). 

The selection process will be conducted by Telefilm Canada and based, among other things, on recommendations made by a US-based jury. In addition, decision making may take into account region of applicants in order to ensure a balanced portfolio of projects that reflects a variety of regions across Canada. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENT

  • Synopsis 
  • Director’s Statement 
  • Biography, filmography, Awards and festival selection list of the creative team 
  • Participation Objectives 
  • Promotional and international marketing strategy  
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT

ABOUT

FIRST LOOK is an international export and sales initiative that provides a preview of 6 features to the acquisition community in New York. The presentation will be held online. FIRST LOOK aims to introduce films currently in post-production and their creators from Canada to sales agents, distributors, agents and festival programmers in the United States. 

In January, the selected participants will be mentored by The Gotham, an industry specialist, to prepare their pitch and film clips in order to pitch to U.S. industry experts. (Delivery deadline of the excerpts by mid-February)   

Following the event, participants will participate in one-on-one meetings with the experts interested in their projects.  

This program also will include participation in The Gotham Project Market – Producers Hub in early fall 2025, which will include access to public programming sessions, networking events and 1:1 meetings. 

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