Early Launch of Feature It! 2010
Montreal, March 25, 2010 – Please be advised that some aspects of the Feature It! initiative have been adjusted for fiscal 2010-2011 to allow Telefilm to better evaluate and manage the initiative, and to bring it into closer alignment with how the Canada Feature Film Fund (CFFF) regular fund operates. Feature It! is funded through the CFFF.
- Overall timing to be earlier in calendar year
The Feature It! workshop will be held in June 2010 instead of the fall to move it from the busy annual film festival season to the industry’s slower summer period. This scheduling change will increase the potential for organizers to attract outstanding speakers and presenters, and will also afford Telefilm sufficient time in its fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) to review the program’s first three years of operation, consult with stakeholders, and develop a new strategic plan for the next three years (2011-2014).
Launch: March 25, 2010
Application deadline: April 27, 2010
Project selection announcement: During the week of May 24th, 2010
Workshop: During the week of June 20th, 2010 – dates to be confirmed
- Projects submitted at “Getting to second draft” or “Getting to subsequent draft” stage no longer require directors to be attached
Removing this requirement brings Feature It! into closer alignment with current CFFF development requirements, and makes the initiative accessible to a broader range of potential applicants. - Realignments in development-stage funding
- For screenwriters:
Funding available at the Getting to Treatment and Getting to First Draft stages has been updated to reflect Writers Guild of Canada 2010 membership fees.
- For producers and production companies
The following development-phase funding changes bring Feature It! into closer alignment with similar changes being introduced to CFFF for fiscal 2010-2011.
Please note: Contrary to current CFFF regular fund development requirements, Feature It! maintains its funding for projects at the Getting to Treatment stage. However, the maximum amount allowable for the combined stages of Getting to Treatment and Getting to First Draft is capped at $30,000.
- Getting to Treatment stage: The funding maximum available for up to 80% of eligible costs is $20,000.
- Getting to First Draft stage: The funding maximum available for up to 80% of eligible costs is $30,000.
- Getting to Second Draft or Subsequent Draft stage: The funding maximum available for up to 80% of eligible costs is $25,000.
By aligning Feature It! guidelines more closely with those of the CFFF, it is Telefilm’s intention to prepare successful applicants for how development financing in the CFFF regular fund operates. In this way, Feature It! supports participants’ career progressions so, eventually, they meet CFFF regular development fund eligibility requirements. This alignment helps build participant capacity, which is in keeping with Telefilm’s strategic priority of building industry capacity.
- For screenwriters:
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All applications must now be submitted online via eTelefilm only
All Feature It! applicants must now apply via the on-line services of eTelefilm. Telefilm Canada will no longer accept Feature It! applications by mail. Applicants should submit the Feature It! application form, duly completed and signed, together with the Telefilm Canada standard budget and all required documentation, to Telefilm Canada by the stated deadline.
Applicants who do not have the access code for our eTelefilm services can request one online or by contacting eTelefilm Technical Support between 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (EST) at 1-800-567-0890 extension 3911.
Feature It! and Ecrire au long are part of Telefilm’s Official Languages Activities Program (OLA-ALO). Feature It! seeks to enlarge the pool of Anglophone creators working in Quebec, while Ecrire au long seeks to enlarge the pool of Francophone creators working outside Quebec.
Guidelines for both initiatives can be found at www.telefilm.ca