TORONTO – CBC is throwing its support behind underrepresented Canadian creators with a new $7.5 million fund called the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund.
The fund will help 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.
To qualify for the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund, projects must be in a fictional genre, have an existing first draft script, and not yet be in production. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for funding of either 10 or 20 percent of the film’s proposed budget (capped at $1 million for 10 percent projects and $2 million for 20 percent projects). Eligible projects will be judged solely on creative merit and submissions are now being accepted with no formal deadlines.
CBC pledged to make an initial investment of at least $7.5 million in the fund over the next three years.
“With the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund, we are striving to make a meaningful difference by supporting underrepresented creators directly and investing in their feature films,” said English Services EVP Heather Conway, in the news release. “This new model will offer vital resources to writers and directors who have historically been at a disadvantage in accessing financing, and will ensure their films are promoted to much broader audiences in Canada through distribution on CBC’s television and digital platforms.”
The CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund will complement the public broadcaster’s existing and continued commitment to Canadian film, including licensing more than 50 Canadian feature films since 2014.
