Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund announce 18 projects funded through the Talent to Watch Program
Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are welcoming 18 new filmmaking teams with this year’s selection of projects in the Talent to Watch Program. The lineup presents films from across the country, covering both English and French markets, as well as the Indigenous Stream. A commitment of $3.6 million will be invested into these projects by Telefilm and the Talent Fund.
“Films from the Talent to Watch Program consistently shine a spotlight on emerging talent spread across the country,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO, Telefilm Canada. “The opportunity we give to propel their careers as filmmakers and establish themselves amongst our nation’s vibrant film community is one we take pride in. This year’s selections present a dynamic range of cinematic gems, and we cannot wait to see the final product.”
“Investing in the next generation of filmmakers is at the heart of the Talent Fund, and we are honoured to support this year’s cohort on their first feature journey,” said Sandi Treliving, Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Committee. “Through the generosity of our donors, like the continued support from the RBC Foundation through RBC Emerging Artists and a new contribution from Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, these emerging filmmakers are given a chance to bring their distinctive visions into reality. Canada is full of incredible talent with stories that need to be seen and heard – and the Talent Fund will continue to ensure that happens.”
Film teams and their projects come from coast-to-coast-to-coast, with projects from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to the Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Alberta and more. There is also a strong linguistic diversity in this year’s selections, with films told in majority Spanish, Farsi, Wayuunaiki, in addition to English and French. Overall, 126 projects were submitted to the Talent to Watch Program for 2023-2024.
This year’s films are:
A Cree Approach (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Tristin Greyeyes
Producers: Kaitlyn Redcrow and Tristin Greyeyes
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Nehīyaw (Plains Cree)
Stream: Indigenous Stream
Partner organization: imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Autonomy & Dignity (Working Title) (Documentary)
Directors: Daniel Ennett and Frederick Kroetsch
Screenwriter: Daniel Ennett
Producer: Rebecca Campbell
Province: Alberta
Language: English
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Directors Guild of Canada
Blue Heron (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Sophy Romvari
Producers: Ryan Bobkin and Sara Wylie
Executive Producer: Riel Roch Decter
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Hungarian
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Con Nhang I Enfants d’encens (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Eva-Loan Ponton-Pham
Producer: Marie-Michèle Cyr
Province: Québec
Languages: French and Vietnamese
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: HotDocs
El Padrote (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Andrés Estrada
Producer: Irène Bessone
Province: Québec
Language: Spanish
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Foreigner (Horror)
Director/screenwriter: Ava Maria Safai
Producer: Nicco Graham
Province: British Columbia
Languages: English and Farsi
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Her Last Supper (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Becca Willow Moss
Producers: Becca Willow Moss and Stephanie Chiasson
Province: Ontario
Languages: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Invisibles (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Junna Chif
Producers: Leslie Dabit and Pierre Villepelet
Executive Producers: Laurent Allaire, Yanick Létourneau and Junna Chif
Province: Québec
Language: French
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema – Concordia University
Joan’s Kitchen Table: Stirring the Revolution (Documentary)
Director: Olesya Shyvikova
Screenwriter: Louise Delisle
Producer: Karim Kafafy
Executive Producer: Walter Borden
Province: Nova Scotia
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
KUBANA (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Alunaya
Producer: Will Prosper
Province: Québec
Languages: English, French and Kinyarwanda
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Last Stop Video Rentals (Comedy)
Director/screenwriter: Eric Janvier
Producer: Megan Shott
Province: Alberta
Language: English
Stream: Indigenous Stream
Mute Out Sound (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Kenza Derkaoui
Producer: Stefan Supplice
Province: Ontario
Languages: French, English, and Arabic (Darija)
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Séga : la musique de l’océan Indien (Working Title) (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Vincent Toi
Producer: Guillaume Collin
Province: Québec
Language: French
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: Main Film
Strong Son (Drama)
Director/screenwriter: Ian Bawa
Producers: Ian Bawa and Markus Henkel
Executive Producer: Kyle Bornais
Province: Manitoba
Languages: English and Punjabi
Stream: Industry Partner
Partner organization: TIFF, Winnipeg Film Group, and OnScreen Manitoba
The Snake (Dark Comedy)
Director: Jenna MacMillan
Screenwriter: Susan Kent
Producers: Sharlene Kelly
Province: Prince Edward Island
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
The Wind’s Thirst (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter/producer: Alejandro Valbuena
Province: Ontario
Languages: Wayuunaiki, Spanish, and English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Women of No Nation (Documentary)
Director/screenwriter: Diana Saqeb Jamal
Producer: Caroline Cox
Province/Territory: Northwest Territories and Alberta
Languages: Farsi and English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
Yo, We’re Dying… (Comedy)
Directors: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon and Jay Carolyn Wu
Screenwriter: Keisha Phoenixx-McLeggon
Producer: Fonna Seidu
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Stream: Filmmaker Apply-Direct
An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the projects and made recommendations to Telefilm. The decision-making process considered Telefilm’s goal of fostering a diversity of voices in the industry, ensuring that Telefilm funds a balanced portfolio of productions that reflect a variety of genres, budgets and company sizes, regions of the country and points of view. Names of selection committee members will be published on the Project Financing Advisory Committees webpage once all funding decisions have been made.
About Telefilm Canada
As a Partner of Choice, Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation dedicated to the success of Canada’s audiovisual industry, fostering access and excellence by delivering programs that support cultural resonance and audience engagement. With a lens of equity, inclusivity and sustainability, Telefilm bolsters dynamic companies and a range of creative talent at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual coproduction treaties to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Launched in 2012, the Talent Fund raises private donations which principally support emerging talent. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Telefilm_Canada and on Facebook at facebook.com/telefilmcanada.
About the Talent Fund
The Talent Fund is a national donation initiative dedicated to the impact and longevity of first-time filmmakers’ careers from across Canada. Igniting career paths in cinema, the Talent Fund invests in emerging talent and provides support to build their professional portfolios, fosters community and knowledge-sharing through professional mentorship, and prioritizes emerging creators from historically underrepresented communities. Funds raised are invested in Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program – a career accelerator and launchpad – which helps the next generation of storytellers contribute to a thriving Canadian film industry. Since 2012, the Fund has supported over 180 film projects, brought to life by more than 400 emerging artists (writers, producers, and directors) and has financed films that have earned over 180 awards worldwide. Individual donors, family foundations, corporations and sponsors invest in the Talent Fund as they believe in the power of storytelling through film, and the impact this program has on the careers of emerging artists. To learn more about the Talent Fund or to make a donation, visit thetalentfund.ca
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