National production projects

Quebec region

Emotional Arithmetic (Producers: Production Arithmetic Qu̩bec inc. РSuzanne Girard, Arithmetic Ontario Productions inc. РAnna Stratton; Writers: Jefferson Lewis, Paolo Barzman; Director: Paolo Barzman)

Melanie Winters returns home from the mental institution to play hostess to two childhood friends who bring with them memories of their internment in concentration camps as teenagers.

Ontario & Nunavut region

All Hat (Producer: New Real Films Inc. – Jennifer Jonas; Writer: Brad Smith; Director: Leonard Farlinger ) is based on Brad Smith’s novel of the same name and tells the story of Ray Dokes, a charming ex-ballplayer, who returns home from jail to discover the rural landscape of his childhood transformed. Ray must find a way to stop Sonny, Ray’s nemesis and the spoiled heir to a thoroughbred dynasty, from his grand plan to turn the farmland into a subdivision. One false move and Ray will land back in jail, but he comes up with a plan to stop Sonny and right some wrongs.

Western region

Stone Angel (Producers: Liz Jarvis, Kari Skoglund; Writer/Director: Kari Skoglund) is based on the much-loved and critically acclaimed Margaret Lawrence novel of the same name. Hagar Shipley is aged and ailing – but would rather die than go into a nursing home. The witty, irascible and fiercely proud Hagar, faced with the prospect of a nursing home, sets out on a preposterous journey in search of the safe haven of an abandoned ocean side house she remembers from happier times.

Newton and Leo (Producers: Menlo Park Movies Ltd. – Dean English, Karen Powell, Marc Stephenson; Writers: George Toles, Daegan Fryklind; Director: Jesse Rosensweet) is an animated, mythical reworking of modernity’s legendary inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Leo is turned into an electrical boy by his father, Thomas Galileo Newton, in this comedy-adventure set in the expressionistic-Victorian, cinematic fantasy world of Pickerton Park.

Regional production projects

Atlantic region

Pushing Up Daisies (Producers: Standing 8 Productions – Chaz Thorne, Bill Niven, John Watson, Pen Densham; Writer/Director: Chaz Thorne) is the story of Oliver Zinck and how his life changes when he inherits a Nova Scotian funeral home from his estranged father. Completely in debt, Oliver discovers that by creating corpses in his own way and then providing funeral services, he can make some fast cash. Pushing Up Daisies is a dark comedic exploration of the depths of greed, ambition and desire.

Ontario & Nunavut region

Amal (Producer: New Real Films Inc. – Executive Producers: Robin Cass, Peter Starr, Producers: David Miller, Steven Bray; Writer: Shaun Mehta and Ritchie Mehta; Director: Ritchie Mehta) is a based on the short film by Shaun Mehta of the same name and tells the story of an auto rickshaw driver, who attempts to do the right thing following a tragic incident with a young beggar girl.

Breakfast With Scot (Producer: Miracle Pictures Inc. – Paul Brown; Writer: Sean Reycraft; Director: Laurie Lynd) is a contemporary comedy about a ‘straight’ gay couple whose lives are turned upside down when they become the reluctant, temporary guardians of Scot, a recently orphaned and flamboyant 11-year-old boy.

Young People F*!@king (Producers: Copperheart Entertainment – Steve Hoban; Tracey Boulton; Writer: Martin Gero & Aaron Abrams; Director: Martin Gero) is a wickedly funny sex comedy about five twenty-something couples who, over the course of one night in Toronto, try to have some seemingly straightforward sex but run into problems along the way.

Western region

Normal (Producer: Normal Film Company Inc. – Andrew Boutilier; Writers: Travis McDonald, Carl Bessai; Director: Carl Bessai) An accident in the past causes ripples of tragedy in the lives of the people connected to it, in particular the victim’s bereaved mother, his best friend, and the middle aged man responsible for the crash. Normal explores the fragility and humanity of people who are searching for redemption.

Walk All Over Me (Producer: Chaos A Film Company – Carolyn McMaster; Writers: Robert Cuffley, Jason Long; Director: Robert Cuffly) is a darkly comedic thriller laced with love, latex and empowerment. Alberta, a twenty-something cashier, moves to Vancouver into the home of her former babysitter (dominatrix-for-hire Celene) and rescues a handsome "john" accused of stealing a fortune from his crooked boss/ex-best friend.

Low-Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program

Western region (post production)

Acts of Imagination (Producers: Springate Combs Inc. – Caroline Combs, Michael Springate; Writer: Michael Springate; Director: Caroline Combs) chronicles the loves of brother/sister immigrants from the Ukraine through their relationships with others.

The Green Chain (Producers: I Love Trees Productions Inc. – Mark Leiran-Young, Donna Wong-Juliani, Tony Wosk; Writer/Director: Mark Leiran-Young) is a powerful, funny and thought provoking film about the conflict between loggers and environmentalists, people on both sides of the battle who love trees – and are willing to risk anything to protect their personal visions of the forest and our planet.

Immigrant (Producers: Japanese Polka Dancing Films Ltd. – Bojan Bodruzic, Shirley Vercruysse; Writer/Director: Bojan Bodruzic) follows two parallel stories about Bosnian immigrants in Canada who fled their homeland to escape the war. The first looks at the tumultuous relationships between a Bosnian filmmaker and his Canadian girlfriend; while the second is about a widower, who has a hard time letting go of his past.

Montreal, October 23, 2006—Telefilm Canada today released key changes to the Canada Feature Film Fund (CFFF) for the English-language market, following consultations with the CFFF Working Group for the English market. Changes are to go into effect for 2007-2008. The English Working Group—composed of 18 Telefilm and industry representatives in production, distribution, exhibition and broadcasting, and from unions, guilds and government—has been working intensively since May of this year to bring the Fund more in step with market realities. Telefilm is also working with a French Working Group on creating counterpart solutions.

“We count on the industry, through the Canada Feature Film Fund Working Groups, to find the best way for our programs to be relevant and in line with the industry’s needs,” said Wayne Clarkson, Telefilm Canada’s Executive Director.

“By collaborating with the two Working Groups, we are ensuring that the CFFF is more efficient and effective, responds to the specific needs of the English- and French-language markets and continues to support a diversity of films.

“On the English side, the industry’s new synergy is starting to pay off; we are definitely on a kind of cinematic roll with the recent success of Water, Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. And the best part is we still have a lot of good movies to come this year.”

Changes to the English CFFF guidelines for 2007-2008 The latest changes for the English market follow on the heels of other initiatives this year to build success for English-language cinema. Of note, Telefilm eliminated national deadlines for English-language projects. The elimination of deadlines better allowed the industry to work with Telefilm in developing their projects, and allowed the Corporation to better recognize the specific challenges of deal-making in this language market.

In addition, Telefilm worked with the industry through the Feature Film Focus Group and Creative Immersion this year to help foster a more collaborative environment for success in the English-language market.

1. Production performance envelopes will be awarded to the top 15% of films earning a minimum of $500,000 in box office

The new threshold, which is more in step with market realities for English Canadian cinema, will encourage new players to access the envelope system.

2. Introduction of performance development envelopes of up to $150,000

Companies achieving success at the box office, but not earning a sufficient envelope for ensuing production (less than $750,000), will receive the benefits of an envelope for use in the development of subsequent projects. This change both maximizes the efficiency of the production performance envelopes—by ensuring that production performance envelopes are large enough to significantly contribute to production financing—and provides greater autonomy for producers not reaching this bar to develop new projects.

3. Eligible feature-length documentaries now qualify for production performance envelopes of up to $1 million

This move recognizes the performance of Canadian feature-length documentaries that achieve success at the domestic box office. This is in line with the recommendation by the Standing Committee that a revised feature film policy recognize long-form documentaries.

4. Greater autonomy for distributors to commit resources based on market realities

Telefilm will award distribution envelopes to all qualifying companies by eliminating the previous minimum cut-off of $500,000 for marketing activities.

Developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to the development and promotion of the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The Corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canadian Television Fund.