Production program

Who can apply

Canadian production companies in search of financing for the production and/or post-production stage of their feature film project(s). 

Objectives and Guiding Principles 

The guiding principles of the Production program are:  

• To support feature films that will speak to Canadian and international audiences, and that will bring both cultural impact and audience engagement. Telefilm seeks to fund films that will build and contribute to our Canadian cultural legacy. 
• To support filmmakers with strong sensibilities and perspectives who will bring original voices and approaches and will advance cinematic expression.  
• To support emerging and established filmmakers in advancing their artistic career through ambitious and impactful films.  
• To support greater equity and representation in storytelling, that reflects gender parity and diversity from various communities including Indigenous, Black and People of Colour as well as members of LGBTQ2+ communities and People with Disabilities from all regions of the country. 
• To support Indigenous content that is produced by creators who are Indigenous and/or have engaged in meaningful research, collaboration, and cooperation with Indigenous communities impacted by their projects. 
• To support creative teams who are from underrepresented communities or who have engaged in meaningful research, collaboration, and cooperation with underrepresented communities, where films are dealing with the experiences of those communities. 

Telefilm is launching the 2021-2022 program guidelines before the current pan-Canadian consultations are completed in the interest of supporting the industry and producers who require financing for upcoming production. Current changes reflect the ongoing feedback from the consultations and may be updated once the consultation process is completed.  

Applicants may submit their projects any time during the program’s opening period. (See Key Dates below.)

Eligibility requirements 

Please consult the Guidelines for specific eligibility requirements. 

All applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• be a Canadian  controlled corporation 
• have its head office in Canada and carry out its activities in Canada 
• operate as an audiovisual production company 
• producers and other key members of the production team must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents (unless the project is an audiovisual treaty coproduction) 

All projects must meet the following criteria: 

• be feature length (at least 75 minutes long), fictional, and be produced or completed in French, English or an Indigenous language 
• be aimed primarily at the Canadian theatrical market while maximizing distribution on alternate platforms 
• be under the ownership of the Canadian applicant(s) 
• have its copyright owned by Canadians (unless the project is an audiovisual treaty coproduction) 
• be under the financial, creative and distribution control of the eligible applicant(s) 
• be solely written and directed by Canadian citizens or permanent residents (unless the project is an audiovisual treaty coproduction) 
• have a budget of no less than $250,000 
• if a post-production application, be submitted following rough assembly and prior to picture-lock 
• English–language project budgeted at 3.5M or more: the project must have a firm commitment from an eligible Canadian distribution company for theatrical release in Canada within one year of delivery 
• French-Language projects budgeted at $2.5M or more: the project must have a firm commitment from an eligible Canadian distribution company for theatrical release in Canada within one year of delivery
• Indigenous stream: Telefilm will set aside funding for projects by Canadian filmmakers from Indigenous communities. These projects will be assessed by an external jury selection committee having Indigenous representation. Applicant companies applying for funding under this Stream will have to show that: 
  • at least 51% of the project’s copyright is held by a production company majority-owned and controlled by Indigenous persons;  
  • the project is under the financial and creative control of Indigenous persons; 
  • two of the three key members of the creative team (producer, director or screenwriter) are Indigenous. 

Evaluation and Decision-making 

Please consult the Guidelines, and the Essential Information Guide for details. 

Advisory committees composed of external and internal experts will evaluate the projects based on the evaluation criteria described below and submit their recommendations to Telefilm. Each advisory committee will use an evaluation grid to score and rank eligible projects. 

Evaluation criteria: 

• • Creative Elements including the originality, quality and production-readiness of the script, and the director’s vision for the film (for production applications) or the quality of the footage and potential of the film to reach audiences (for post-production applications) 
  • Track record of the Key Creative Personnel (Producer(s), Director and Screenwriter) 
  • Project Viability including the financial feasibility and creative viability of the project 
  • Cultural Impact and Audience Reach Potential 
  • If the project is an Audiovisual Treaty Coproduction, Telefilm will also assess the investment optimization, capacity-building and visibility and promotion of Canada’s audio-visual industry. 

The decision-making will also take into account Telefilm’s objective to foster a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions reflecting a variety of genres, budget and company sizes, regions across the country, and different viewpoints. To that effect, Telefilm may notably prioritize projects whose key creatives (director and/or screenwriter and/or producer) self-identify as Racialized Persons (including, but not limited to, Black and People of Colour), Indigenous, Women, and members of Official Language Minority Communities.  

For more information, see the Guidelines, and the Essential Information Guide below.