BANFF – CBC Television has joined Telefilm Canada in a $2 million pilot project to help get feature documentaries in Canadian theatres and on Canadian television.
CBC and Telefilm announced the project at the Banff World Television Festival this week.
For years, feature docs could not be funded through Telefilm’s Canada Feature Film Fund and were hard to program on TV because they need more than the usual one-hour slot.
The pilot project, responding in part to the recent box office success of such doc-style movies as The Corporation, Fahrenheit 9/11, Super Size Me and Bowling for Columbine, aims to take small steps to begin addressing that age-old problem.
The money breaks down as follows: $1.5 million from Telefilm, with two-thirds aimed at English movies and the balance at French, and $500,000 from CBC English TV. Feature docs can only access the pilot project’s $1 million production dollars if CBC is the broadcaster, in which case, they’d also be promoted by the Corp.
Of the remaining $1 million, half would be allocated for distribution and half for development/completion financing. If a filmmaker already has a different broadcaster on board, the film could still be considered for theatrical release and the filmmaker could apply to the fund for completion financing to complete the longer version.
The main difference in the production and release schedule for these films is that, according to CBC TV executive vice-president Richard Stursberg, there would be a theatrical release window before the film would go to DVD and pay-TV windows.
Details about any involvement by Radio-Canada are still to come.
– Sue Tolusso
