Services and initiatives
We offer a variety of services and implement initiatives at festivals and markets to ensure that Canadian productions and talent obtain the recognition they deserve.
Helping talent to thrive
We work closely with the world’s major international film festivals in order to promote Canadian productions selected to take part in these festivals.
Through this partnership, we help to position Canada as a creative and commercial partner of choice.
Preselections in Montréal
Each year, we organize private screenings of Canadian films for programmers of international festivals.
Feature films submitted at the preselection stage benefit from significant exposure among key festival decision makers. In addition, registration fees that festivals normally charge are waived.
Preselections are held for the following festivals:
- Cannes
- Locarno
- Karlovy Vary
- Busan
- Berlin
- Sundance
Consolidated shipments to festivals
We coordinate festival registrations from Canadian participants for a number of festivals.
Bundling Canadian productions for shipment to festivals ensures that programmers and decision-makers view them quickly. In addition, registration fees that festivals normally charge are waived.
Consolidated shipments are made for the following festivals:
- Venice
- San Sebastián
- Rotterdam
- Tribeca
- Beijing
- Shanghai
Building demand and facilitating access
We invest in various promotional and professional development initiatives and offer a range of financing programs to help build demand for Canadian productions.
Canada Pavilion
Together with various industry partners, we organize the Canada Pavilion at several international markets. The Pavilion brings together a number of Canadian companies and businesses that specialize in, among other activities, content production and distribution.
This meeting hub fosters the development of coproduction and co-venture partnerships while also facilitating sales agreements.
Learn about the Canada Pavilion’s various services and initiatives
Perspective Canada
This initiative is designed to showcase Canadian films at various markets and increase their exploitation on the international scene. Following a selection process, the selected films are screened at the markets.
In addition to paying a part of the screening costs, we fund promotional strategies for the selected feature films.
International Marketing Program
Through this program, we help fund the international promotion and marketing of Canadian feature films officially selected by international festivals.
Export Assistance program
The Export Assistance Program provides financial support to distribution companies having acquired exploitation rights of eligible Canadian feature films in selected foreign territories.
Providing support and professional development for talent
With our partners, we offer a variety of initiatives for emerging talents as well as professionals that enable them to take part in events and activities aimed at helping them develop their knowledge and network of contacts and carry out their projects.
Rotterdam Lab
This training and networking workshop, held during the Rotterdam International Film Festival, is designed for emerging producers.
It’s thanks to our partnership with CineMart, the festival’s coproduction market, that Canadian producers are invited to participate in the workshop. These producers are selected from amongst the candidates who answered the call for entry.
Independent Film Week Project Forum – No Borders, New York
No Borders is an international film funding forum held during the Independent Film Week in New York City. It offers established producers and directors the opportunity to present their projects in one-on-one meetings to potential investors, production partners, and buyers from the United States and elsewhere.
Through this partnership, we recommend up to seven scripts among the ones submitted to the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) jury, which then makes the final decision.
Not Short on Talent
Not Short on Talent offers recent Canadian short films the opportunity to screen at international festivals and markets.
We develop and fund promotional campaigns, including print and online, that showcase the selected shorts.
The shorts are selected on the basis of a call for entry process.
ACE (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen)
ACE is a selective training programme and development centre for experienced independent European producers. ACE combines three main types of activities: training via workshops and one-day seminars on specific topics; advice regarding the development of fiction feature film projects and; networking activities at an international level with major industry players.
Telefilm Canada’s agreement with ACE allow for two Canadian producers to participate in ACE MUNDUS Programme, open to non-European Union producers.
Producers Without Borders at the Berlinale
This business development initiative is aimed at Canadian producers having at least one feature film in development.
In all, 20 producers are selected on the basis of a call for entry process.
Among other benefits, participants selected for Producers Without Borders:
- obtain accreditation for the Berlinale Coproduction Market
- have access to networking activities
Networking activities
During international events, an array of networking activities for industry professionals are held at the Canada Pavilion.
Festivals calls for entry
We offer a call for entry service via email that provides important information about the application process for key festivals.