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Telefilm Canada announces key dates and details on the Production Program

04 February 2021

February 4, 2021 – Telefilm Canada would like to inform its clients of the publication of new guidelines for the Production Program and announce opening dates.

Telefilm is publishing 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 productions. Current changes reflect the ongoing feedback from the consultations and may be updated once the consultation process is completed.

Changes to the Production Program include:

  • Advisory committees composed of external and internal experts will assess the projects according to the program’s evaluation criteria and submit their recommendations to Telefilm
  • Minority coproduction funding applications will be accepted all year round, subject to availability of funds
  • Extended opening period for Majority coproductions, subject to availability of funds
  • Revised recoupment conditions
  • English language productions with a budget of less than $3.5M no longer require a commitment from an eligible Canadian distributor

Webinars will be held the week of February 15 to provide greater detail on the new changes. The schedule will be shared as an Industry Advisory soon.

Key dates for the Production Program are as follows:

English-language projects:
Budgets under $2.5M
Opening date: February 23, 2021
Closing date: March 23, 2021

English-language projects:
Budgets $2.5M and higher
Opening date: February 23, 2021
Closing date: March 30, 2021

French-language projects:
Budgets $2.5M and higher
Opening date: February 23, 2021
Closing date: March 10, 2021
*Dates for projects with budgets less than $2.5M will be announced shortly

Indigenous Stream:
All budget levels, and English, French or Indigenous languages
Opening date: February 23, 2021
Closing date: March 23, 2021

Audiovisual Treaty Coproductions with a Minority Canadian Coproducer: 
All budget levels, and English, French or Indigenous languages
All year round, subject to availability of funds.
*Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying

Majority Audiovisual Treaty Coproductions with a Majority Canadian Coproducer: 
All budget levels, and English, French or Indigenous languages
Opening date: February 23, 2021
Closing date: September 30, 2021
*Subject to availability of funds.
**Please contact your Feature Film Executive before applying

The Production Program is open to Canadian production companies applying for financing for the production and/or post-production stages of their feature film projects with budgets equal or greater than $250,000.

All applicants are encouraged to review the new Essential Information Guide, evaluation criteria, and program guidelines in order to understand the updates. The documents are available on the Production Program page.

Funding applications must be submitted during the Program opening dates and contain all relevant documentation. Any incomplete funding application may be rejected. Please see the list of required documents for more information.