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 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.