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).

Overview of the program

Applicants may submit their project or portfolio of projects at any time during the program’s opening period.

• Evaluation criteria:
  • creative elements including the originality, quality and production-readiness of the script, and the director’s vision for the film or the quality of the footage (rough-cut applications)
  • market interest (for projects with budgets of $2.5M or more)
  • the overall financial viability of the project
  • the production company’s track record
  • the feature film track record of the creative team, primarily the producer, director, screenwriter
  • the global promotion strategy

Overview of 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

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 Aboriginal language
• be aimed primarily at the Canadian theatrical market while maximizing distribution on alternate platforms
• have its copyright owned by Canadians
• have a budget of no less than $250,000
• budgets of $2.5M or more: the project must have a hard commitment from an eligible Canadian distribution company for theatrical release in Canada within one year of delivery
• budgets of less than $2.5M: the project must not have been submitted more than twice to the program
  • For the purposes of this requirement, post-production applications are not considered as additional production applications
• Fast track stream for second feature films: Telefilm will support the production of a second feature film by an emerging director whose first narrative or documentary feature was selected (after January 1, 2018), at one of the eligible major film festivals (Appendix A).
  • Applications must be submitted within the two calendar years following the selection
  • The budget for the submitted project may not exceed $2.5 million
  • The project must be directed by the same director as the project giving access to this Stream
• Indigenous stream: Telefilm will set aside funding for projects by Canadian filmmakers from Indigenous communities. These projects will be assessed by an external jury 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 whose majority shareholder  is Indigenous
  • Two of the three key members of the creative team (producer, director or screenwriter) are Indigenous