8,800 applications were submitted
TORONTO – The CBC announced Friday 119 original Canadian projects have been selected to receive immediate support through The CBC Creative Relief Fund, exceeding the initial commitment with $2.2 million in development and production funding confirmed across three programming streams.
The announcement says 99 projects have been selected for development funding and 20 for production funding, including 51 projects (43%) from self-identified Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) creators. The fund was launched in April in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, to provide at least $2 million in urgently needed development and production funding as the making of film and TV ground to a halt.
“Thank you to the thousands of Canadian creators who submitted their ideas to the CBC Creative Relief Fund, including new storytellers we have now been introduced to. We were overwhelmed by the response and the creativity of projects, which made for some very difficult decisions,” said Barbara Williams, executive vice-president, CBC, in the press release.
“The world has continued to evolve rapidly since the fund was launched, and we are proud to champion these unique voices and stories that reflect our country and the extraordinary times we are living in. The innovative projects we have selected offer a diverse range of inspiring and entertaining perspectives from creators across Canada and will help support the recovery and resurgence of our artistic and creative communities.”
In the innovation stream, 82 selected for development and five for production. This stream “was created in support of big, bold ideas that are innovative and take creative risks, with development and production opportunities on all platforms,” says the CBC.
Click here for a list of projects funded through this stream.
The CBC short docs stream (40 minutes or less) saw 15 selected for production. This stream “encouraged documentary filmmakers from across Canada to showcase their unique perspectives on what’s happening in the world during this time of Covid-19.
Click here for a list of projects funded through this stream.
There were 17 selected for the playwright pilot stream, where the CBC asked for concepts “that are a natural fit for either limited or ongoing series in the comedy or drama genres, episodic or serialized, and is funding the writing of a pilot script with an intended broadcast duration of either 30 or 60 minutes for selected projects,” says the release.
Click here for a list of projects funded through this stream.
