Production Program
This program supports Canadian production companies looking to finance the production and/or postproduction stage of their feature film project(s).
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 a strong sensibility and perspective 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, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, Gender-diverse identities and expressions, as well as 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.
- To give voice to creative teams from Official Language Minority Communities and those situated outside the main production centres of Toronto and Montreal.
- To support content creation that helps advance sustainable production practices and that encourages environmentally responsible community engagement plans.
Applicants may submit their projects any time during the program’s opening periods. (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, an Indigenous language or, for artistic imperatives, in another 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
- if 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
- Indigenous stream: Telefilm will set aside funding for projects by Canadian filmmakers from Indigenous communities. 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 (or 100% if there is only one applicant company);
- the project is under the financial, creative and distribution control of Indigenous persons; and
- two-thirds of the key members of the creative team (producer(s), director(s) or screenwriter(s)) are Indigenous.
Evaluation and Decision-Making
If you are planning to submit an application to this Program, 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.
Indigenous Stream projects will be assessed by an advisory committee having Indigenous representation.
Evaluation criteria:
-
- Creative Elements including the originality, quality and production-readiness of the script and the director’s vision for the film
- Track record of the Key Creative Personnel (Producer(s), Director(s) and Screenwriter(s))
- Project Viability including the financial feasibility and creative viability of the project
- Cultural Impact and Audience Reach Potential including the capacity to engage the intended audience and the potential for cultural resonance
- 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 process 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, budgets and company sizes, regions across the country, and different viewpoints. Gender parity will continue to be a priority across all programs in particular within communities where women are still underrepresented. Telefilm may prioritize projects whose key creative personnel (i.e. director(s) and/or screenwriter(s) and/or producer(s)) are members of communities supported through its Inclusion Initiatives: Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Gender-diverse identities and expressions, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, Persons with disabilities and members of Official Language Minority Communities. That prioritization will also consider the intersectionality of identities as a way to better reflect a large spectrum of lived experiences.
For more information, see the Guidelines, and the Essential Information Guide below.
Latest updates
EXTENSION FOR APPLICATION UPDATES - 1st Submission Period
Elements of applications submitted during the 1st submission period relating to financing, cast and distribution arrangements could be updated up to March 15th, 2022, provided the application was submitted by January 17th, 2022, end of day. Details on how to proceed will be given to actual applicants.
UPDATED DATES AND DOCUMENTS
The Production Program dates and documents have been updated.
UPDATED GUIDELINES
A new version of the Production Program guidelines is now available.
UPDATED DOCUMENTATION
New versions of the Essential Information Guide, the List of Required Documents, the Filmography, the Declaration regarding Indigenous Projects and the Summary of Audience Reach/Promotional Strategy are now available.
Guidelines
Current
Previous
Program applications must be submitted online.
Key Dates for Fiscal 2022-2023
Projects may be submitted only once per fiscal year. Producers whose projects can be submitted in more than one opening period must select the one that best meets the needs of their project.
Production Program –Audiovisual Treaty Co-productions with a Minority Canadian Co-producer – All Budget Levels
*Subject to availability of funds.
**Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying
Note: IT support is only available until 5 pm EST.
Production Program –Audiovisual Treaty Co-productions with a Minority Canadian Co-producer – All Budget Levels
*Subject to availability of funds.
**Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying
Note: IT support is only available until 5 pm EST.
Post-Production Applications – French-Language Projects – All budget levels
*Subject to availability of funds.
**Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying
Note: IT support is only available until 5 pm EST.
Post-Production Applications – French-Language Projects – All budget levels
*Subject to availability of funds.
**Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying
Note: IT support is only available until 5 pm EST.
Notes:
- The program is no longer accepting applications for fiscal year 2022-2023, except for post-production applications regarding French projects and co-productions with a minority Canadian co-producer)
- For documentary projects, please see the Theatrical Documentary Program webpage for more information.
Resources
List of Required Documents
Designation of Main Applicant and Sharing of Project Performance Ratio
List of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Requirements for Feature Films
Authorization/revocation of representative with regards to Telefilm
Questionnaire on the independence of the independent auditor
Templates
Standard Budget Template
Standard Budget Template for Greenlight Funding
Breakdown of Expenditures Incurred Outside the Coproducing Countries
Summary of Audience Reach/Promotional Strategy
Explanation of Cost Report Variances Template
Exploitation Report Template
Short Exploitation Report Template
Track Record for Producer(s), Director(s) and Screenwriter(s)
Declarations & Affidavits
Declaration of Canadian Status of Corporation and Corporate Information
Declaration of Related-Party Transactions at Final Costs
Declaration of Costs Incurred and Paid to Date
Affidavit – Final Costs
Declaration – Canadian Content
Declaration Regarding Indigenous Projects
Business policies
Code of Conduct - Advisory Committee Members
Canada Feature Film Fund Distribution Terms & Contract Requirements
Canada Feature Film Fund Budgets and Production Financing Requirements
CFFF Outside Readers Policy
Accounting and Reporting Requirements (2016)
Accounting and Reporting Requirements (2016) - Summary of Changes
Accounting and Reporting Requirements (2014)
Accounting and Reporting Requirements (2006)
Questions?
Telefilm’s team is here to help you. The contact information for the Telefilm team member for your language market or region is below. Who you should contact depends on your question:
- Eligibility and how to apply: Coordination team
- Evaluation and Decision-making: Feature Film Executive (English market) / Distribution and Marketing Analyst (French market)
- Indigenous projects: Lead, Indigenous Initiatives
- Equity and Inclusion: Lead, Inclusion Initiatives (English market) / Advisor, Inclusion Initiatives (French market)
- Contracting and Drawdowns: The analyst assigned to your file (signed projects) or the Deputy Director (prior to decision)