The Talent Fund, a private donation fund, has once again contributed significantly to the Program, thanks especially to principal partners Bell Media and Corus Entertainment as well as to numerous other corporate and individual donors.

“On this the Talent Fund’s fifth anniversary, what I’m most proud of is how our support of the Micro-Budget Production Program has enabled talent from all four corners of the country to emerge into the spotlight,” said Hartley T. Richardson, Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Committee. “I am pleased to see this diversity and representation reflected in this year’s cohort. The 18 projects selected this year further confirm that Canada’s creators have truly original stories to tell and share with Canadian and international audiences alike.”

Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada, added: “Over the past four years, the Micro-Budget Production Program has nurtured some incredibly talented creators from all regions of the country, who have gone on to delight audiences and receive accolades both at home and around the world. And now, we’re starting to see their second projects come through the door, another indicator of the success of this program.

“Championing diversity is at the heart of what we do at Telefilm, and I’m delighted to see that the 18 projects selected this year offer a greater diversity of voices and stories than ever before—a large number of the selected projects, for example, are either produced, directed, or written by women. It is incredibly heartwarming for me to know that the future of Canadian culture is in such good hands. ”

Karine Vanasse, Talent Fund ambassador, further added: “I’m very proud to serve as Talent Fund ambassador and to contribute to its crucial role in fostering the next generation of Canadian creators. The Talent Fund gives them the confidence and, of course, the funding they need to tell their original stories in the way they want to tell them. This year’s finalists are a glimpse into what the future holds for Canadian culture, and I would encourage everyone to invest in that bright future by visiting www.thetalentfund.ca.”

About the Micro-Budget Production Program
This is the fifth annual round of projects selected under the Talent Fund-supported Micro-Budget Production Program. The Program supports emerging filmmakers and web-content creators seeking to produce their first feature-length film or web project, and emphasizes the use of digital platforms and developing the projects’ potential for distribution and audience engagement.

The program is comprised of three components—Main, Indigenous, and Official-Language Minority Communities (OLMC). This year, two feature film projects and one web project were selected under the Indigenous component, and one feature film project was selected under the OLMC component.

About the Talent Fund
The Talent Fund helps the film industry diversify its funding sources and promote its successes. Guided by an advisory committee of business and community leaders, the Fund mainly supports the discovery and career progression of emerging Canadian talent in the audiovisual industry. Thanks to principal partners Bell Media and Corus Entertainment, and to several foundations and individuals, the Fund has raised $15 million to date.

A program that yields results
More than 40 educational institutions and film cooperatives associated with the Program, from across Canada, recommend projects to Telefilm by promising emerging filmmakers. In four years, the Program has supported some 73 debut projects, including this year’s selection.

Telefilm gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Micro-Budget Production Program’s promotional partner, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, as well as Technicolor, which will once again offer free digital distribution encoding services to the projects.

Projects selected under the Micro-Budget Production Program for 2017-2018

• Dawn, Her Dad, and the Tractor, Shelley Thompson (director, writer, producer), Lynn Matheson (producer), Nova Scotia, partner: Creative Women Workshops Association
• Della & Goliath, Heather Hatch (director, producer), Helen Knott (writer), Alberta, partner: FAVA (Film and Video Arts Society Alberta)
• Entropic, Robert W. Gray (director, writer, producer), Jon Dewar and Matt Rogers (producers), New Brunswick, partner: New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative
• Fall Back Down, SB Edwards (director, writer), Cera Ziegler (producer), British Columbia, partner: Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society
• Gratteux, Renaud Lessard, Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr (directors, writers, producers), Ariane Falardeau St-Amour, Fanny Forest (producers), Quebec, partner: Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Concordia University
• Homecoming, BJ Verot (director, writer, producer), Ken Janssens (writer), Brad Crawford (producer), Manitoba, partners: Winnipeg Film Group, On Screen Manitoba
• Honeymoon, Samuel Plante (director, writer), Josh Ary (producer), Ontario, partner: Ryerson University
• How to Bee, Naomi Mark (director, writer, producer), Vivian Belik (producer), Yukon, partner: Yukon Film Society
• Miranda?, Sophie Bédard Marcotte (director, writer), Caroline Galipeau (producer), Quebec, partner: Spira
• P6HUT, Web format, Supinder Wraich (director, writer), Matt Power (producer), Ontario, partner: ReelWorld Film Festival
• Pass Through, Jessie Anthony (director, writer), April Johnson (producer), British Columbia, partner: Bosa Centre for Film and Animation, Capilano University
• Pour mieux t’aimer, Denise Bouchard (writer, director), Gilles Doiron (director, producer), New Brunswick, partner: New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative
• Quand l’amour se creuse un trou, Ara Ball (director, writer), Kacim Steets (producer), Quebec, partner: Main Film
• Réservoir, Kim St-Pierre (director), Isabelle Pruneau-Brunet (writer), Julie Groleau (producer), Quebec, partner: L’inis (Institut national de l’image et du son)
• Scattered & Small, Melanie Oates (director, writer), Chris Hatcher (producer), Newfoundland and Labrador/Ontario, partner: NIFCO (Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-operative)
• The Warden, Web format, Roxann Whitebean (director, writer), Trudy Stewart (producer), Quebec and Saskatchewan, partner: National Screen Institute – Canada
• Tokens, Web format, Winnifred Jong (director, writer, producer), Trinni Franke (producer), Ontario, partner: Creative Women Workshops Association
• Wharf Rats, Web format, Jason Arsenault (director), Robbie Caruthers, Dennis Trainor and Errol Richardson (writers), Jenna MacMillan (producer), Prince Edward Island, partner: Island Media Arts Cooperative

Meet the 2017-2018 Micro-Budget Finalists