Eight documentaries will receive funding through Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund’s Talent to Watch program. Docs account for nearly half of the 17 projects announced for support today via a release from Telefilm Canada. The 17 films will receive a total investment of $3.45 million and were drawn from a pool of 150 applicants. Doc projects tapped for funding hail from production companies in Ontario and Quebec, while British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba are represented by dramatic projects.
Receiving funding through the Industry Partner Stream is Danse Laurence!, directed by Laura Marroquin-Éthier and produced by Francesca Rubartelli Barcenas. The National Institute of Image and Sound (INIS) is the designated industry partner that recommended the project.
The other seven documentaries are supported through the direct application stream, which requires all key creatives to identify from underrepresented demographics. Documentaries account for seven of the eleven funded projects here. The supported docs are Alice, directed by Mélissa Savoie-Soulières and produced by Sophie Gagnon-Bergeron; Cette Terre m’appellera Maître, directed and produced by Katia Café-Fébrissy with Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo as executive producer; Civilian, directed and produced by Raya Hamdan; Fios da Terra, directed by Kayla Fragman and produced by Amélie Tremblay with Dominique Dussault as executive producer; Les Priants, directed by Martine Gignac and produced by Evelyne Lafleur Guy; Marcheuses, directed by Carlos Cortés and produced by Hippolyte de Chanlaire and Nathalie Guérard; and Uninvited, directed by Rose Katché and produced by Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayard.
“The Talent to Watch Program continues to be a driving force for discovering the remarkable talent that thrives within our country,” said Julie Roy, Executive Director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, in a statement. “This year’s teams represent the voices of both the present and future of Canada, and we are excited to see their bold imagination brought to life in every frame. We are proud to champion the next generation of storytellers as they enrich our creative economy.”
“Through the Talent Fund, we get to empower the next generation of storytellers that shape the stories we see on screen,” added Sandi Treliving, Chair of the Talent Fund Advisory Committee. “We’re so thankful to our generous donors – from Vancouver to Regina, Toronto to Halifax – whose steadfast contributions ensure that the Talent Fund can continue its vital mission: investing in the future of Canadian and Indigenous filmmakers.”
Docs previously funded through the Talent to Watch program include And Still I Sing, Anyox, back home, Gabor, There’s No Place Like this Place, Anyplace, and This House.
The 2024 projects receiving funding through Talent to Watch are:
Indigenous Stream
Under this stream, all key members of the creative team must be Indigenous.
Houseboat (science fiction / fantasy)
Director and screenwriter: Jerry Wolf
Producer: Adeline Bird
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Industry Partner Stream
For projects that are recommended by a designated industry partner.
Danse Laurence! (documentary)
Director and screenwriter: Laura Marroquin-Éthier
Producer: Francesca Rubartelli Barcenas
Province: Quebec
Language: French
Partner organization: National Institute of Image and Sound (INIS)
EXP (drama)
Director: Ted Sakowsky
Screenwriter: Ed Sakowsky
Producers: Momo Daud and Katarzyna Anielak
Executive Producer: Joseph Sindaha
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Partner organization: York University
Meat (science fiction/fantasy)
Director: Ryan Steel
Screenwriters: 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)
Director and screenwriter: Janessa St. Pierre
Producer: Mariam Barry
Province: British Columbia
Language: English
Hue & Cry (drama-comedy)
Director and screenwriter: Maziyar Khatam
Producers: Tyler Mason and Anya Chirkova
Executive Producer: Guy Maddin
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Filmmaker Apply-Direct Stream
Under this 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)
Director and screenwriter: Mélissa Savoie-Soulières
Producer: Sophie Gagnon-Bergeron
Province: Quebec
Language: French
Cette Terre m’appellera Maître (documentary)
Director, screenwriter and producer: Katia Café-Fébrissy
Executive Producer: Alexandrine Torres de Figueiredo
Province: Ontario
Language: French and Creole
Civilian (documentary)
Director and producer: Raya Hamdan
Screenwriters: Mazin Almusharaf and Raya Hamdan
Province: Ontario
Language: English and Sudanese Arabic
External Neighbours (science fiction/fantasy)
Director and screenwriter: Anna Maguire
Producers: Erin Carter and Anna Maguire
Executive Producers: Anaëlle Béglet, Jeanne-Marie Poulain – Art et essai
Province: Ontario
Language: English
Fios da Terra (documentary)
Director and screenwriter: Kayla Fragman
Producer: Amélie Tremblay
Executive Producer: Dominique Dussault
Province: Quebec
Language: Portuguese (Azorean dialect), French and English
Homewrecker (drama)
Director: Simon Paluck
Screenwriter: Caleb Harwood
Producer: 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)
Director and screenwriter: Carlos Cortés
Producers: Hippolyte de Chanlaire and Nathalie Guérard
Province: Quebec
Language: French, English and Algonquin
Puddy Tat (drama)
Director and screenwriter: Kaytlyn Turner
Producers: Kyla Ferrier and Kevin Dong
Province: Alberta
Language: English
Requiem for a Sad Girl (thriller)
Director and screenwriter: Maude Michaud
Producers: Jen Viens and Maude Michaud
Executive Producer: Philip Kalin-Hadju
Province: Quebec
Language: English
Uninvited (documentary)
Director and screenwriter: Rose Katché
Producer: Mérédith Gonzalez-Bayar
Province: Quebec
Language: French and English
