Telefilm announces details to the Development Program

Telefilm Canada would like to inform Canadian producers of the opening date of the Development Program, as well as the changes made as part of the optimization of Telefilm’s programs.

In September 2020, Telefilm launched the extensive, open, and transparent pan-Canadian consultations in both Official Languages on the review of the Success Index, the Development Program, and the Talent to Watch Program. These consultations were conducted with the industry through online surveys, public forums, working sessions with members of different Telefilm partner groups, meetings with key professional associations and provincial agencies, and a call for written comments on Telefilm’s formal proposals.

In this final phase of our consultations, we received 40 written submissions from across the country, from coast to coast to coast, demonstrating a wide range of views. The Development Program reflects the comments and opinions received during these consultations. Work to align our other programs with the results of these consultations will continue over the coming months. 

Key dates:

Filmography verification period: June 23, 2021 to July 16, 2021*
Notification to Prequalified applicants of their eligibility and amount of eligible funding: July 23, 2021
Opening date: August 23, 2021
Closing date: September 15, 2021

* Requests received after this date will not be considered in the calculations for this fiscal year’s allocations.
* Revenues are those reported up to April 23, 2021 (on films released up to December 31, 2020).

Important changes:

• The track record score has been replaced by a performance ratio, which is calculated as the gross revenue / production budget ratio for a company’s eligible filmography.
• The Automatic Stream has been replaced by the Prequalified Stream, which is comprised of three tiers of funding. Access and allocation will be determined by the performance ratio of eligible applicants.
• The Stream for Racialized Persons is renamed the Stream for Black and People of Colour.
• The maximum amount of funding available decreases from $200,000 to $75,000 in the new Prequalified Stream.
• All applicants have 3 weeks to validate their filmography and will be informed through an email to the members of their organizations of their eligibility status as well as the funding amount to which they are eligible a month in advance of the opening of the program.
• Telefilm’s maximum financial participation per project increases to $25,000 for the Selective Stream, the Indigenous Stream, and the Stream for Black and People of Colour.
• Improved access to the Selective Stream for applicant companies which are majority-owned and controlled by members of the Official Languages Minority Communities.
• No more exhaustive list of eligible costs: flexibility given depending on the needs, scope and particularities of each project.
• No more mandatory script editor for projects submitted under the Indigenous Stream or the Stream for Black and People of Colour.
• Funding can be up to 100% of the budget.

Guidelines, eligibility and assessment criteria, as well as other important information, are available on the Program page.