Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions (STCF)
Communication to clients
Per the Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual Productions (STCF) fiscal year 2022-2023 guidelines the STCF coverage ends on March 31, 2023.
Coverage for all current or new applications will end on the last day of principal photography but no later than March 31, 2023, even when the last day of principal photography extends beyond that date.
The last date to apply for STCF coverage is Friday, March 24, 2023.
As a reminder, applicants must notify Telefilm of an interruption in filming of more than one day or abandonment of a project due to Covid-19 within 24 hours by emailing Covid-19@telefilm.ca.
Applicants must submit claim related documents including all potential eligible costs incurred up to and including March 31, 2023, within 30 days following the resumption of filming, and in all events no later than April 17, 2023, or be subject to the refusal or non-availability of funds.
Please feel free to reach out to the analyst assigned to your STCF file, should you have any questions specifically pertaining to your application.
| Important dates | |
|---|---|
| Friday, March 24, 2023 Last day to submit STCF pre-eligibility applications | |
| Friday, March 31, 2023 Last day of STCF coverage for all Pre-Eligibility Agreements | |
| Saturday April 1, 2023 Client must notify Telefilm of any interruptions that began at the latest on March 30th by email to Covid-19@telefilm.ca | |
| Monday, April 17, 2023 Last date to submit all claim documents |
Summary
- Project type
- Productions having experienced interruptions in filming or abandonment due to COVID-19
- Project stage
- Production
- Applicants
- Canadian audiovisual production companies
- Submission
- Dialogue
Program overview
The Short-Term Compensation Fund indemnifies eligible producers for reasonable Canadian production costs directly caused by an interruption of more than one day in filming or the producer’s abandonment of the production prior to the end of filming due to COVID-19, which is directly caused by:
- A diagnosis (COVID-19), confirmed by a medical authority, of an actor or director declared on the insurance policy covering the project, as declared to Telefilm on the starting date of the coverage period or;
- Any outbreak (COVID-19), confirmed by a medical authority, on set that requires a complete production shutdown in accordance with current standards required by the applicable authorities.
Results
At a glance, here are the results of the STCF since its launch in October 2020.
2022-2023
Program Opened: March 4, 2022
Term period: April 01, 2022, to March 31, 2023 at the latest*
Envelope: $150M
- As of March 8, 2023 703 applications have been received for a total coverage requested of $388 million, representing a total production volume of $2.6 billion for productions filming between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023
- 80% of this amount is for television projects, 19% for feature films, 1% for web series and 0.1% for short films.
- In terms of decisions, 700 projects have been approved to date for over $386 million.
- 46 claims have been submitted of which 24 claims are under evaluation and 22 claims paid for an approximate total amount of $2.7 million.
| Province | Number of applications | % # | Amount covered $ | % $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 320 | 46% | $ 164,012,531 | 42% |
| Ontario | 222 | 32% | $ 143,714,289 | 37% |
| British Columbia & Territories | 111 | 16% | $ 53,396,385 | 14% |
| Prairies Region | 32 | 5% | $ 17,627,375 | 5% |
| Atlantic Region | 18 | 3% | $ 9,092,927 | 2% |
| Total | 703 | – | $ 387,843,507 | – |
*The STCF may come to an end upon the occurrence of the earliest of the following events :
- The implementation of a permanent alternative solution to cover interruptions in and the abandonment of filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the entire audiovisual industry;
- Notice from the Federal Government;
- The exhaustion or lapse of the budget envelope allocated to this Fund; or
- March 31, 2023.
2021-2022
Term period: April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022
Initial Envelope: $100M
Enhanced Envelope: $149M
- The STCF covered 713 productions between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 for a total coverage of $450 million, representing a total production volume of $2.6 billion.
- 22 claims received for an approximate total amount of $4.1 million.
2020-2021
Term period: October 28, 2020 to March 31, 2021
Envelope: $50M
- The STCF covered 187 productions between October 28, 2020 and March 31, 2021 for a total coverage of $105 million, representing a total production volume of $612 million.
- 4 claims received for an approximate total amount of $0.3 million.
Who can apply
To be eligible for the compensation provided by the STCF, the applicant must:
- Be a Canadian corporation eligible for the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC).
- Have and apply a COVID-19 safety plan in accordance with the current applicable sanitary requirements.
- Hold all the copyrights, as well as the control of the project.
At the time of pre-eligibility
To be eligible for the compensation provided by the STCF, a project must meet the following criteria:
- Be an audiovisual production eligible for the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC);
- Be covered by an insurance currently in effect provided by an insurance company specialized in audiovisual production (comprehensive producers insurance and general liability insurance) containing an exclusion relating to COVID-19 with respect to the project subject to the application;
- Not benefit from any coverage for interruptions or abandonment of filming caused by COVID-19 under any other compensation program or insurance policy;
- Have a fully confirmed financial structure; and
- Have a scheduled period of filming which is planned to last more than a single day.
The fulfilment of the Fund’s eligibility criteria does not guarantee access to the Fund.
Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis, incumbent on earliest date of start of principal photography. However, Telefilm reserves the right to apply its discretionary judgment to ensure a diversity of projects that reflects the many perspectives of the audiovisual industry.
At the time of the compensation request, other eligibility criteria will be taken into account.
Please refer to the STCF 2022 – 2023 Guidelines below for the full eligibility criteria and program details.
Information about the fund
The fund will come to an end upon the occurrence of the earliest of the following events:
- The implementation of a permanent alternative solution to cover interruptions and the abandonment of filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the entire audiovisual industry;
- Notice from the Federal Government;
- The exhaustion or lapse of the budget envelope allocated to this Fund;
- March 31, 2023.
Key Dates
Projects with principal photography starting as of April 1, 2022, with a portion of principal photography that takes place after March 31, 2022.
Region(s): Atlantic region, Quebec, Ontario and Nunavut, Western region
Latest updates
Subscribe to our industry advisories to receive the funding updates.
March 3, 2022
Extended Short-Term Compensation Fund April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023
Opening March 4, 2022 to receive applications for projects with principal photography starting as of April 1, 2022.
Updated versions of the Guidelines, Attestation, and Designation Form for 2022-2023 applications are now available below.
February 11, 2022
Extended Short-Term Compensation Fund April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023
Guidelines, Essential Information Guide, Attestation, Designation Form, Budget template – to be published shortly
October 12, 2021
Essential Information Guide
An updated version of the Essential Information Guide for the Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian Audiovisual productions is now available.
Apply now
Please read our How to apply page for more information on the application process.
Applications must be submitted through Dialogue.
Application documents
STCF 2022 – 2023
STCF 2021-2022
From 28 October 2020 – until 31 March 2021
Contact
Any questions can be sent to:
Email: covid-19@telefilm.ca
Note: Applicants must notify Telefilm via covid-19@telefilm.ca no later than 24 hours after an interruption in filming of more than one day due to the occurrence of an Incident (as defined in the STCF guidelines).