Telefilm Canada and Talent Fund Support Diverse Storytelling Communities with $3.45 Million in Funding

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are backing 17 film teams behind first features highlighting the country’s diverse storytelling communities, including one with Guy Maddin on board as executive producer.

Maddin, whose Cannes entry Rumours is being positioned in the awards conversation, is on board the English-language dramedy Hue & Cry from director Maziyar Khatam. No further details were available at time of writing.

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund have committed C$3.45m (approximately USD $2.5m) after receiving a “high volume” of projects for the fiscal year 2024-2025 representing nearly C$35m (approximately USD $26m) in funding requests, based on recommendations from an advisory committee of external and internal representatives.

Funds are invested in Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch career accelerator programme, which Julie Roy, executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, said “continues to be a driving force for discovering the remarkable talent that thrives within our country”.

Zarrar Kahn, whose 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry In Flames won the Canadian Screen Award for best first feature and the Red Sea Film Festival’s best first feature award, said anchor financing from the Talent Fund was “absolutely transformational”.

Kahn added, “The fund recognises the challenges faced by early-stage creators, and empowers them to take risks on projects that might otherwise never see the light of day.”

Selected Projects

Indigenous Stream

All key members of the creative team must be Indigenous.

• Houseboat (sci-fi, fantasy) – Dir/wrtr: Jerry Wolf, Pdr: Adeline Bird, Province: Ontario, Language: English

Industry Partner Stream

Projects recommended by a designated industry partner.

• Danse Laurence! (documentary) – Dir/wtr: Laura Marroquin-Éthier, Pdr: Francesca Rubartelli Barcenas, Province: Quebec, Language: French, Partner organisation: National Institute of Image and Sound (INIS)
• EXP (drama) – Dir: Ted Sakowsky, Wtr: Ed Sakowsky, Prds: Momo Daud and Katarzyna Anielak, EPs: Joseph Sindaha, Province: Ontario, Language: English, Partner organisation: York University
• Meat (sci-fi, fantasy) – Dir: Ryan Steel, Wtrs: Ryan Steel and Sean Henderson, Producer: Sean Maheux Galway, Province: Manitoba, Language: English, Partner organization: Winnipeg Film Group

Festival Selection Stream

For emerging filmmakers who have directed a short film that was selected at a recognized film festival.

• Hair Or No Hair (drama) – Dir/wtr: Janessa St. Pierre, Prdr: Mariam Barry, Province: British Columbia, Language: English
• Hue & Cry (drama-comedy) – Dir/wtr: Maziyar Khatam, Prds: Tyler Mason and Anya Chirkova, EP: Guy Maddin, Province: Ontario, Language: English

Filmmaker Apply-Direct Stream

All key members of the creative team must be Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, women, gender-diverse individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, persons with disabilities; and/or members of an Official Language Minority Community.

• Alice (documentary) – Dir/wtr: Mélissa Savoie-Soulières, Pdr: Sophie Gagnon-Bergeron, Province: Quebec, Language: French
• Cette Terre m’appellera Maître (documentary) – Dir/wtr/pdr: Katia Café-Fébrissy, EP: Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo, Province: Ontario, Language: French and Creole
• Civilian (documentary) – Dir/pdr: Raya Hamdan, Wtrs: Mazin Almusharaf and Raya Hamdan, Province: Ontario, Language: English and Sudanese Arabic
• External Neighbours (sci-fi, fantasy) – Dir/wtr: Anna Maguire, Pdrs: Erin Carter and Anna Maguire, EPs: Anaëlle Béglet, Jeanne-Marie Poulain – Art et essai, Province: Ontario, Language: English
• Fios da Terra (documentary) – Dir/wtr: Kayla Fragman, Pdr: Amélie Tremblay, EP: Dominique Dussault, Province: Quebec, Language: Portuguese (Azorean dialect), French and English
• Homewrecker (drama) – Dir: Simon Paluck, Wtr: Caleb Harwood, Pdr: Graeme D. Blyth, Province: Ontario, Language: English
• Les Priants (documentary) – Director and screenwriter: Martine Gignac, Producer: Evelyne Lafleur Guy, Province: Quebec, Language: French
• MARCHEUSES (documentary) – Dir/wtr: Carlos Cortés, Pdrs: Hippolyte de Chanlaire and Nathalie Guérard, Province: Quebec, Language: French, English and Algonquin
• Puddy Tat (drama) – Dir/wtr: Kaytlyn Turner, Pdrs: Kyla Ferrier and Kevin Dong, Province: Alberta, Language: English
• Requiem For A Sad Girl (thriller) – Dir/wtr: Maude Michaud, Pdrs: Jen Viens and Maude Michaud, EP: Philip Kalin-Hadju, Province: Quebec, Language: English
• Uninvited (documentary) – Dir/wtr: Rose Katché, Pdr: Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayard, Province: Quebec, Language: French and English

Conclusion

The projects selected under the Talent to Watch programme will receive anchor financing from the Talent Fund, which has committed C$3.45m (approximately USD $2.5m) in funding. The programme continues to support emerging filmmakers and diverse storytelling communities, with a focus on Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour creators.

FAQs

1. What is the Talent to Watch programme?
• The Talent to Watch programme is a career accelerator programme that supports emerging filmmakers and diverse storytelling communities.
2. What is the purpose of the anchor financing from the Talent Fund?
• The anchor financing from the Talent Fund is to provide support to the selected projects and empower them to take risks on their creative projects.
3. What are the different streams of the Talent to Watch programme?
• There are four streams of the Talent to Watch programme: Indigenous Stream, Industry Partner Stream, Festival Selection Stream, and Filmmaker Apply-Direct Stream.