| Direct Federal Funding |
|
|
|
|
Page 3 of 3 Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program The Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program is intended to assist in the production and post-production/completion of high quality, original and culturally relevant, director driven, low-budget feature films created by emerging and established filmmakers. This financing is available only to directors, and as such, producers may not apply. The director must own and control 100% of the creative and editorial rights in connection with the production. In order to be eligible, productions must be dramatic feature films more than 75 minutes in duration released in digital, 16mm or 35mm formats with budgets between $300,000 and $1-million (which may be exceeded by up to $250,000 in deferrals). The production must obtain at least eight out of 10 CAVCO points, with priority given to productions with the highest proportion of Canadian creative elements. There is no requirement to have a Canadian distribution commitment in place, although Telefilm encourages applicants to seek distribution deals with Canadian broadcasters or Canadian distributors. Telefilm’s financial participation will take the form of a non-interest bearing advance, which may not exceed 65% of the total project budget to a maximum of $200,000 per project. Canadian Media Fund (CMF)The Canada Media Fund (CMF) champions the creation of successful, innovative Canadian content and applications for current and emerging digital platforms through financial support and industry research. Created by Canada’s cable and satellite distributors and the Government of Canada, the CMF’s vision is to connect Canadians to our creative expressions, to each other, and to the world. Projects will be supported through two streams of funding, an Experimental Stream, which invests in the development of innovative content and software applications for eventual integration into mainstream Canadian media platforms; and a Convergent Stream, which supports the creation of convergent television and digital media content.Experimental Stream Through the Experimental Stream, the CMF will encourage the creation of leading-edge, interactive, digital media content and software applications. Eligible projects will include experimental, non-linear, interactive content and software applications created for the internet, wireless, mobile, and emerging platforms or devices. Projects must demonstrate leading-edge characteristics. A television component will not be required. Examples include web and mobile applications, videogames, web series, and software applications with a connection to the Canadian cultural sector. Eligible applicants will include Canadian-controlled, taxable Canadian corporations with their head office in Canada or Canadian broadcasters. These include television, interactive, and web-based production companies, internet service providers; mobile service providers; broadcasting distributors; private and public broadcasters; and broadcaster-affiliated production companies. Funding allocated to this stream is $27 million. The maximum contribution per project is 75% of eligible costs or $1 million, whichever is less. Funding will be delivered as equity investments in projects. Funding decisions will be made on a selective basis by the CMF and will be based on criteria outlined in the Experimental Stream guidelines. Convergent Stream Through the Convergent Stream, the CMF will support the creation of television shows and related digital media content in four underrepresented genres: drama, documentary, children’s and youth, and variety and performing arts. Eligible projects will include content produced for broadcast on television and distribution on at least one digital media platform. Projects must include high levels of Canadian elements, including Canadian creative talent. While basic digital media components, such as basic websites and video-on-demand will be allowed for the purposes of rendering the entire convergent project eligible, the CMF will encourage the creation of rich, value added content by requiring at least 50% of a broadcast corporate group’s envelopes be spent on this type of content. Examples include videogames, podcasts, webisodes, mobisodes, and interactive web content. The streaming of a production on the internet at the same time as the television broadcast (i.e. simultaneous streaming) will not be considered an eligible digital media component for the purposes of rendering the entire convergent project eligible. Eligible applicants will include Canadian-controlled, taxable Canadian production corporations with their head office in Canada and Canadian broadcasters (public or private). These include television, interactive, and webbased production companies; private and public broadcasters; and broadcaster-affiliated production companies. Forms of funding will include licence fee top-ups, equity investments, recoupable advances and non-repayable contributions that are paid directly to the applicant producer, depending on the program. For a complete description of the CMF and the requirements for funding, visit the CMF website: www.cmf-fmc.ca or refer to the following PDF documents: http://www.cmf-fmc.ca/uploads/Backgrounder.pdf, http://www.cmf-fmc.ca/uploads/CMF_inserts_EN.pdf.  |
