TORONTO – Three new feature films have been selected as recipients of CBC’s Breaking Barriers Film Fund for underrepresented Canadian creators.
The projects are An Audience Of Chairs from Deanne Foley and Rosemary House, an unflinching look at a woman’s struggle with mental illness; Level 16 by Danishka Esterhazy, a sci-fi thriller that uncovers the dark side of the beauty business; and Red Snow by Marie Clements, an epic international love story following a Gwich’in soldier in Afghanistan. These films join the first three projects announced by the Fund last February.
“Response to the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund from Canadian filmmakers has been overwhelming, underscoring the vital need for this fund,” said CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund interim senior director, Helen du Toit, in the announcement. “Exploring a wide range of stories and travelling from eastern and central Canada to the north and across the ocean, these three new films showcase the exciting creators our country has to offer and fully represent the kind of diverse storytelling we want to bring to audiences at home and around the world with this fund.”
CBC pledged to make an initial investment of at least $7.5 million in the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund over the next three years. Submissions are now being accepted with no formal deadlines.
Launched in November 2016 to offer new opportunities for filmmakers who have historically been at a disadvantage in accessing financing, the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund helps finance English-language feature film projects that are written or directed by Canadian women, Indigenous persons, visible minorities and persons with a disability who have had at least one feature-length film showcased at a recognized film festival.
