$18M in production funding going to 12 French-language films
Telefilm Canada on Wednesday announced an investment of more than $24 million to fund 11 feature-length films in the English market as part of the first round of decisions under its Production Program’s big-budget stream.
Seven of the feature films are majority coproductions and several are book-to-screen adaptations. The first-round investment accounts for 69 per cent of Telefilm’s annual budget for funding English market big-budget feature films, according to a Telefilm press release.
The selected projects include:
- Canada-Ireland coproduction A Thread of Violence, from director and screenwriter Robert Budreau and writer Grayson Moore, produced in Ontario by January Media and Lumanity Productions, coproduced by Sleeper Films, and distributed by Mongrel Media
- Canada-Ireland coproduction Eggplant, from director and screenwriter Yung Chang, produced in Ontario by Medium Density Fibreboard Films, and distributed by Game Theory Films
- Canada-Germany coproduction Half-Blood Blues, from director and screenwriter Clement Virgo and writer Patrick Whistler, produced in Ontario by Conquering Lion Pictures, and distributed by Elevation Pictures
- Canada-Belgium coproduction Mary, Mary, from director and screenwriter Bruce LaBruce and writer Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay, produced in Quebec by Compass Productions, and distributed by A-Z Films (with Raven Banner)
- Canada-U.K. coproduction Nightingale, from directors and screenwriters Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, produced in Manitoba by Thin Stuff Productions, and distributed by Elevation Pictures
- Canada-U.K. coproduction Rapture, from director and screenwriter Jordan Tannahill, produced in Ontario by Elevation Pictures, which is also the distributor
- Canada-Switzerland coproduction Worse Together, from director and screenwriter Luis De Filippis, produced in Ontario by JA Productions and Fra Diavolo Films, and distributed by Maison 4:3 (with MDFF)
- Forgiveness, from director Deepa Mehta and screenwriter Mark Sakamoto, produced in Ontario by Hamilton-Mehta Productions, and distributed by Mongrel Media
- Lullabies for Little Criminals, from director and screenwriter Sarah Gadon, produced in British Columbia by Brightlight Pictures, and distributed by Elevation Pictures
- Suffering is Optional, from director and screenwriter Zarrar Kahn, produced in Ontario and Quebec by CityLights Media, LBG Films, Other Memory Media and Couronne Nord, and distributed by Game Theory Films (with h264)
- Untitled Matt Johnson film, from director and screenwriter Matt Johnson, produced in Ontario by Zapruder Films, and distributed by Elevation Pictures
In addition, Telefilm said four projects are receiving greenlight funding for additional pre-production support, including projects from Newfoundland, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, three of which are majority coproductions.
Telefilm’s announcement of funding for big-budget English market feature films comes one day after the organization announced $18 million in funding for the production of 12 feature films in the French-language market. This amount represents 69 per cent of Telefilm’s annual budget for French-language film production funding, with the remaining balance to be allocated during the second round of applications.
For the French-language market, eight feature films are receiving production funding under the big-budget stream and four under the low-budget stream. Two of the films are majority coproductions — one with France and another with Belgium. All of the projects are being produced in Quebec. Details are available here.
Telefilm also announced three French-language market projects are receiving greenlight funding for additional pre-production support, two of which are majority coproductions.
