Applications for pre-eligibility open October 30
MONTREAL — Telefilm Canada today issued an industry advisory announcing the details and criteria for applying to the government of Canada’s Short-Term Compensation Fund (STCF) for Canadian audiovisual productions are now online.
The STCF was created as a temporary measure to fill the void left by the lack of insurance coverage for filming interruptions and production shutdowns due to Covid-19 in the Canadian audiovisual production sector. As we reported here, the fund will make up to $50 million available to the industry.
“Through the Fund, Telefilm Canada will indemnify eligible producers for Canadian production costs directly caused by an interruption of more than one day in filming or the producer’s abandonment of the production prior to the end of filming due to a confirmed diagnosis (Covid-19) of an actor or director declared on the insurance policy covering the project or any confirmed outbreak (Covid-19) on set that requires a complete production shutdown in accordance with current standards required by the applicable authorities,” reads the advisory.
Telefilm notes in its overview of the fund’s eligibility requirements that audiovisual projects must be the subject of a pre-eligibility agreement under the STCF between the applicant and Telefilm prior to the start of principal photography and prior to the appearance of any cases of infection among the cast and crew.
The full details and criteria for the application process are available here. Telefilm will begin accepting applications for pre-eligibility for the fund on October 30.
Update: The Canadian Media Producers Association, which has been pushing hard for this aid, was thankful – while reminding it needs to include more producers, and it may need to be extended.
“We were very thankful for the government’s announcement of the Short-Term Compensation Fund last month,” said CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin in an email Thursday morning.
“That said, it remains unclear whether coverage will also be extended to projects that have already started production. The producers behind such projects took significant financial risk in resuming their productions, and they too should have access to the program.
“In addition, as COVID numbers are unfortunately rising again across the country, it’s becoming clear that the program may need to be extended beyond the current March 31st end date. It is our hope that the government, working with Telefilm, will revisit these details,” Mastin added.
