The Gotham Week 2025 Project Market
CALL FOR ENTRIES
(Market-ready narrative script or Documentary work-in-progress)
Telefilm Canada is currently accepting market-ready narrative scripts and documentary works-in-progress on behalf of The Gotham Week – Project Market for its 2025 edition. 10 projects will be recommended to The Gotham Week, and of those, three (3) will be invited by the Market to attend the event and have meetings with appropriate participating industry representatives.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 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 partners, potential financiers, an international sales agent, theatrical and online content distributors and platforms, collaborators, etc. for the submitted project in the US market;
- if selected, be able to submit the required information (in English) in connection with the project online on The Gotham Platform, including completed version of script by mid-June, 2025;
- if selected, be available to participate in the event which will take place from September 29 to October 3, 2025, it being understood that accreditation will be provided directly by The Gotham; and
- if selected, agree after the event, to complete a survey for Telefilm Canada regarding the satisfaction and outcomes of the initiative.
Please note that applicants and filmmakers representing selected projects during The Gotham Week shall be required to comply with any applicable terms and conditions requested by The Gotham, as the organizer of the initiative.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PROJECTS
To be considered eligible, a project must meet all of the following criteria:
- intended feature length film (75 minutes or more) that is currently in the form of either a narrative feature script or a documentary work-in-progress;
- have an expected total budget of less than $3.5 million (CAD);
- be a film market premiere (not presented at other international financing forums);
- be written and to be produced or completed primarily in French, English or an Indigenous language;
- be under the ownership of the Canadian[1] applicant (including its copyright);
- be written by a Canadian[1] screenwriter;
- be directed by a Canadian[1] director;
The following items are not mandatory at submission, but should your project be recommended to The Gotham, you will need to provide the following creative materials
- Documentary Work-in progress:
- Have a 6 minute work sample
- Narrative project:
- Screenplay in English.
- Have visual material that represents a current work sample or previous work
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;
- 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 under the Criminal Code or in any other way unlawful.
In addition, for a project that is a narrative feature script, all of the following criteria must also be met:
- have a completed feature-length screenplay, completed after September 2024;
- have 20% or more of its project financing in place;
- Producer has completed at least one narrative feature film that has premiered at a festival or been distributed domestically or internationally.
In addition, for projects that are documentary works-in-progress, all of the following criteria must also be met:
- be anywhere between an early financing stage (i.e. early development or in production) to nearing completion (i.e. in post-production or at a rough-
- Producer has completed at least one documentary film that has premiered at a festival or been distributed domestically or internationally.
[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
During the first phase of the selection process, Telefilm Canada will review applications and recommend a maximum of ten (10) eligible projects submitted by eligible applicants to The Gotham Week. During the second and final phase of the selection process, The Gotham Week will make final decisions on which three (3) projects will be presented at The Gotham Week – Project Market.
Telefilm Canada and The Gotham’s decision-making will be based on qualitative information, in order to select the projects with the best potential for success in the Project 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.).
In addition, Telefilm Canada’s 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.
The Gotham Week’s decision-making to select the final three (3) participating projects will be based on the strength of the script and the project’s package. The final selection will be made at the discretion of The Gotham Week.
ABOUT
Acceptance into this curated program is by invitation only. All projects are accepted based on artistic merit. The Gotham accredits hundreds of industry professionals to participate in project pitch meetings, speed dating meetings, and roundtable discussions, and to attend screenings, social events and panels. 50% of these individuals work at production companies, distributors, exhibitors, broadcasters, or film festivals.
Thousands of one-on-one pitch meetings are arranged. Meetings are pre-scheduled in advance by The Gotham at the buyer/producer’s request after reviewing project dossiers and selecting potential projects of interest. Filmmakers and buyers are provided with meeting schedules in advance.
A primary outcome for all artists is the facilitation of career-spanning relationships with potential financiers, theatrical and online content distributors and platforms, producers, festival programmers, sales and talent agents, collaborators, and others. These invaluable relationships continue well beyond their time at Gotham Week.
Past industry participants have included A24, HBO, IFC Films, Neon, Sony Pictures Classics, MUBI, Topic Studios, Sundance Institute, WME, SFFilm, SXSW, Tribeca, Hot Docs, and many more.
MORE INFORMATION
If you have any questions regarding the submission process, you may contact Justin Clement.
Questions about The Gotham Week initiative can be directed to Myriam Blais.
Promotion and Communications
Telefilm Canada, Montréal
DL-festivals@telefilm.ca
1-800-567-0890