Canada Media Fund outlines new funding pot terms

The Canada Media Fund has outlined terms of new matching fund contributions for co-development and coproduction of television and digital media content with foreign partners.

The not-profit organisation, which will deliver C$368 million (US$343.3 million) into projects globally during the 2014-2015 period, has a budget of US$2 million for its new programme.

Talking for the first time at Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle, France, the CMF’s director of programme management Nathalie Clermont said a first agreement has already been set up with RioFilme from Brazil, while talks are on going with New Zealand and Columbian partners.

Created in 2010 to develop, finance and promote Canada’s television and digital media industry, the CMF works with the government of Canada and cable and satellite distributors.

Its digital media coproduction framework spans into two main streams of funding: a ‘Convergent Stream’ dedicated to projects that combine TV and digital, and an ‘Experimental Stream’ for projects displaying innovation and interactivity via apps, social media and other content.

“There are not enough digital media copros,” said Clermont, adding this was true even in the 53 countries such as France, the UK, South Africa and Brazil that have signed TV coproduction treaties with Canada.

In the last four years, the CMF has poured C$1.3 billion into 2,200 projects. 60% of the funding must go to projects with material for new platforms.

Clermont pointed to key recent coproductions such as Inside the Mind of Leonardo, which is from IWC Media and Handel Productions, Burgundy Jazz from Catbird Productions and Arctic Defenders from Unikkaat Studios and John Walker Productions.