Toronto and Montreal, February 16, 2024: :
The Board of Directors of the Bell Fund has announced its decisions for the November 27, 2023, Slate Development Program deadline. The Bell Fund has committed nearly $3 million to the Development Slates of 48 Canadian Production Companies (36 English and 12 French) from across Canada.
The Slate Development Program is a selective program that supports Canadian Production Companies in building and diversifying their project slates by offering financial support for the development of original intellectual property with the intent to grow and foster the independent production industry.
This round, the Bell Fund received a record 143 eligible applications, the 48 successful recipients will use these funds to develop 119 projects for a variety of market partners including 63 broadcasters, 42 distributors and 24 platforms serving Canadian audiences.
The Bell Fund is committed to supporting equity, diversity, inclusion, access and enabling producers/creators from across Canada, emerging and established, to tell their stories.
In this round, 42% of the English applications supported are from companies located outside of Ontario — including five from British Columbia, four from Alberta, two from Manitoba, and two from Nova Scotia; and 16% of the French applications supported are from companies outside of Montreal.
58% are companies majority-owned and controlled by individuals from Indigenous and/or diverse communities (including Black, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and/or Disabled Persons or Persons with Disabilities), 50% are companies majority-owned and controlled by individuals who self-identify as women or gender-diverse and 44% are first-time applicants to the Bell Fund.
Official Language Minority Community companies constitute 17% of English applications supported and 8% of French applications supported.
1.1. The following English companies received funding under Bell Fund’s Slate Development Program:
| COMPANIES (ENGLISH) |
|---|
| Balloon House Productions, ON |
| BentFrame Film & TV, ON |
| Canesugar Mediaworks, ON |
| Canfro Productions, ON |
| Devonshire Productions, ON |
| Digital Warriors Productions, BC |
| Elevation Pictures Productions, ON |
| Fae Pictures, ON |
| Fathom Film Group, ON |
| Gobez Media, ON |
| HHA Original Productions, NS |
| Intuitive Pictures, QC |
| Kate Green Productions, BC |
| KronAuteur Films, NS |
| Kybele Films, ON |
| Little Engine Moving Pictures, ON |
| Little Productions, ON |
| Magic Cube Productions, ON |
| Mamaoo Pictures, BC |
| Merit Motion Pictures, MB |
| Milo Productions, AB |
| Neshama Entertainment, ON |
| Nika Productions, AB |
| Orange Knapsack Productions, BC |
| Outsoul Productions, ON |
| Pier 21 Films, ON |
| Prairie Dog Film & Television, AB |
| Present Moment Pictures, BC |
| Rellow Media, ON |
| Scenario Media, ON |
| Sphere Media Toronto, ON |
| Studio Harrington, QC |
| Tanners Beach Productions, ON |
| Turquoise Sky Entertainment, AB |
| Window Dreams Productions, ON |
| Wookey Films, MB |
1.2. The following French companies received funding under Bell Fund’s Slate Development Program:
| COMPANIES (FRENCH) |
|---|
| Attria Média, QC |
| Bel Ange Moon Productions, QC |
| Blachfilms, QC |
| Carpediem Film & TV, QC |
| Happy Camper Média, QC |
| Kannon Films, ON |
| La Pastèque Productions, QC |
| Les productions Roméo et fils, QC |
| Pimiento Médias, QC |
| Productions KOTV, QC |
| Productions Mustang, QC |
| Trio Orange, QC |
Several projects previously funded through the Slate Development Program have been greenlit for production including the documentary series Les racines du Hip-Hop au Québec now available on Télé-Québec.tv. After receiving Slate Development funding from the Bell Fund in early 2022, Major Productions (based in Rouyn-Noranda) was given the greenlight by Télé-Québec to go into production. The project received funding as a short form series through the Short-Form Digital Series Program in 2022. After receiving Slate Development funding from Bell Fund, Soapbox Productions Inc. (based in North Vancouver, British Columbia) has been given the greenlight by Fox Broadcasting Network, Corus, and ITV to go into production on Murder in a Small Town, a nine-part, tv series based on the Karl Alberg mystery novels, by Edgar Award winning novelist L.R. Wright. The Soapbox documentary Chubby Cree; Journey, also supported by Bell Fund’s Slate Development Program, was also greenlit and recently delivered to Telus Originals.
About the Bell Fund
The Bell Fund is a not-for-profit organization certified by the CRTC as an independent production fund eligible to receive and administer contributions from broadcast distribution undertakings. The Fund is governed by a nine-member board operating at arm’s length from its contributors and has offices in Toronto and Montreal. Since 1997 the Bell Fund has received over $275 million in financial contributions from Bell TV to support Canadian independent producers in the development and production of great Canadian content.
For any questions, please contact:
Bell Fund
416-977-8154
info@bellfund.ca
www.bellfund.ca
Fonds Bell
514-845-4418
info@fondsbell.ca
www.fondsbell.ca
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