{"id":3565,"date":"2019-06-12T11:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T11:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telefilm.ca\/a-diverse-and-inclusive-cohort-of-talent-selected-under-the-talent-to-watch-program"},"modified":"2026-06-15T14:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:59:24","slug":"a-diverse-and-inclusive-cohort-of-talent-selected-under-the-talent-to-watch-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telefilm.ca\/en\/a-diverse-and-inclusive-cohort-of-talent-selected-under-the-talent-to-watch-program","title":{"rendered":"A diverse and inclusive cohort of talent selected under the Talent to Watch Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Regional, cultural and gender diverse, the selection of projects <\/em>from the Talent to Watch Program is reaching new heights<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toronto\/Montr\u00e9al, June 12, 2019<\/strong> \u2013 Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are pleased to announce the 2019 English- and French-language projects selected under the Talent to Watch Program<\/a> with a total of 31 first feature films and narrative web projects from across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs greater inclusion is a key priority, this year\u2019s cohort of talent is one that better reflects the rich diversity of our country,\u201d said Christa Dickenson<\/strong>, Executive Director, Telefilm Canada. \u201cBeyond reaching gender parity in this cohort of projects, they also represent the strength of the regions and their cultural vibrancy. In addition, there are multiple projects with stories and voices from the LGBTQ2+ communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year, we\u2019re also excited to work with new partners like Vancouver International Film Festival, Prism Prize \u2013 The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and Bande Sonimage, just to name a few from which our projects were selected from,\u201d Christa added. \u201cAs we continue to grow the program, and our talent pipeline, we look forward to supporting stories that represent all people of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Talent Fund<\/a>, in support of the Talent to Watch Program, has been championing emerging creators since its inception in 2012. Launching the careers of many emerging professionals, the Fund aims to support rising stars through corporate and private donations to ensure Canada\u2019s filmmakers continue to create and thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInvesting in the next generation of Canadian storytellers is the very essence of the Talent Fund,\u201d says Christine Magee<\/strong>, Chair of the Talent Fund. \u201cThis Fund has allowed many emerging talent materialize their dreams through a feature film or narrative web series, and to date, we have supported close to 150 projects! All this is made possible with the generous contributions of our many partners and individual donors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selection process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative teams from across the country submitted potential projects to one of the Program\u2019s designated partners. From there, each partner submitted projects to Telefilm for consideration by the decision jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Festival Selection Stream allows emerging filmmakers whose short films have been selected at key festival to submit a project directly to Telefilm for jury consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From March to May, three separate peer-based juries were held comprised of industry representatives from English, French and Indigenous groups across Canada. Each jury strove to maintain a diverse and inclusive portfolio, while also ensuring exceptional quality of content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s designated partners include Academy Apprenticeship for Women Directors, Adam Beach Film Institute, Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, Bande Sonimage, Bosa Centre for Film & Animation, Capilano University, Calgary Society Of Independent Filmmakers, Canadian Film Centre, Caribbean Tales, CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers, Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society, Confederation College, Coop Spira, Creative Women Workshops Association, Doc Circuit Montr\u00e9al, \u00c9cole des M\u00e9dias, Female Eye Film Festival, Festival International du Film Black de Montr\u00e9al, Film PEI, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Inc., Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, Institut national de l\u2019image et du son, Le Labo, Main Film, Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema \u2013 Concordia University, National Screen Institute \u2013 Canada, New Brunswick Filmmakers Co-operative, Newfoundland Independent Film Coop, Nova Scotia Community College, NSCAD University, Nunavut Film Development Corp., Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking, On Screen Manitoba, Paraloeil, Paved Arts, Prism Prize \u2013 The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Queen\u2019s University Film and Media, ReelWorld Film Festival Inc., Ryerson University, Saskatchewan Film Pool Cooperative, Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association, SAW Video Media Art Centre, Sheridan College, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, St. John\u2019s International Women\u2019s Film Festival, The Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta, The Harold Greenberg Fund, Toronto Film School, Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, UBC Film Production, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, University of Regina, Vancouver Film School, Vancouver International Film Festival, Wapikoni Mobile, Western Arctic Moving Pictures, WIFT-Atlantic, Winnipeg Film Group, York University and Yukon Film Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>Projects selected for 2019-2020 by province<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northwest Territories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n