Toronto and Montreal, June 14, 2024:
The Board of Directors of the Bell Fund has announced its decisions for the April 8, 2024 TV Production Program – Selective stream deadline. The Bell Fund has committed nearly $1.6 million to the production of 11 TV series from across Canada.
The Bell Fund launched the TV Production Program in 2018 to support the production of market-driven, Canadian, lifestyle, drama, comedy, and documentary series.
The 11 projects include seven drama/comedy series and four documentaries with support from a variety of Canadian broadcasters including APTN, CBC, Corus, Hollywood Suite, OUTtv, Radio-Canada, and TV5Unis.
The Bell Fund is committed to supporting equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and enabling producers/creators from across Canada, emerging and established, to tell their stories.
In this round, 45% of the funded series are from companies located in regions outside of Ontario and Quebec, including two series from British Columbia, one from Alberta, one from Saskatchewan and a coproduction between Newfoundland and Ontario.
18% of funded companies are majority-owned and controlled by individuals from Indigenous and/or diverse communities (including Black, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and/or Disabled Persons or Persons with Disabilities); and in 45% of funded projects, 40% or more paid key creative positions are occupied by individuals from Indigenous and/or diverse communities.
45% of funded companies are majority-owned and controlled by individuals who self-identify as women or gender-diverse; and in 55% of funded series, 40% or more paid key creative positions are occupied by individuals who self-identify as women or gender-diverse. Official Language Minority Community, Regional and/or Emerging companies constitute 48% of applications supported.
1.1. The following English-language series received funding under the Bell Fund TV Production Program – Selective Stream:
| TV SELECTIVE SERIES (English-language) |
|---|
| Allegiance, Season 2 Scott Road Productions (S2) Inc., BC CBC 10 x 60 min – Fiction |
| A star rookie police officer must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father and serve her diverse hometown of Surrey. |
| Pride: The LGBTQ+ History Series, Season 6 We Demand Production, BC OUTtv 6 x 30 min – Non-Fiction |
| Award-winning filmmaker Mark Kenneth Woods and friends travel to different pride celebrations around the globe to learn about LGBTQ+ history. |
| Saint Pierre Sullivan Productions Inc., ON Hawco Productions Inc., NL CBC 10 x 60 min – Fiction |
| Follows two unlikely partners, Archambault and Fitz, as they tackle a new crime each week while navigating their ever-evolving, explosive personal and professional dynamic. The series is steeped in unique charm and texture that is Saint Pierre et Miquelon, France, off the coast of Newfoundland. |
| Secret History: Lore and Legends, Season 3 1961522 Alberta Ltd dba HERD of 1 MEDIA, AB APTN English 9 x 30 min – Non-Fiction |
| Connects the past with the present as it delves deep into the rich tapestry of connections between traditional Indigenous narratives, ancient astronaut theories and other enigmatic phenomena. |
| Slasher, Season 6 Shaftesbury Slasher VI Inc., ON Hollywood Suite 8 x 60 min – Fiction |
| A group of True Crime obsessives are invited to the opening weekend of the newly renovated Coldwater Motel, the site of a 30-year-old unsolved Mass Murder. History repeats itself when the guests get start getting knocked off one by one - a murder spree even more gruesome than the original. |
| Small Achievable Goals Sphere Media Toronto Inc., ON CBC 10 x 30 min – Fiction |
| The misadventures of two women navigating midlife and menopause. Together, Jan and Kris embark on a journey of transformation, helping each other through workplace challenges and office politics, dating and relationship drama, and some serious health concerns. Like a phoenix from the ashes, they will be reborn as sexy, silver-haired, wizard women! |
| Treaty Road, Season 2 Treaty Road Productions 2 Inc., SK APTN English 6 x 60 min – Non-Fiction |
| Erin and Saxon are back on the road, exploring the unfamiliar grounds of Treaties 7 – 11 and the unceded territories. |
1.2. The following French-language series received funding under the Bell Fund TV Production Program – Selective Stream:
| TV SELECTIVE SERIES (French-language) |
|---|
| Anticosti Sphère Média Inc., QC Corus Média 6 x 60 min - Fiction |
| Sur l’île d’Anticosti, une femme est retrouvée morte, nue sur une plage. Les policiers déclarent la mort accidentelle. Or, les insulaires rejettent en bloc ce verdict. Son amie, Justine Gamache fait alors équipe avec Michael, le garde-chasse de l’île, pour élucider l’affaire. |
| FEM, Saison 2 UGO Média, QC TV5Unis 10 x 30 min - Fiction |
| Zav, à peine remise de son coming out, fait ses premiers pas dans l’industrie musicale. Pour arriver à signer un contrat avec une maison de disques, elle doit mieux définir sa personnalité musicale, mais aussi comprendre où elle se situe sur le spectre de l’identité de genre. |
| Secrets de villages, Saison 2 Avenida Productions Inc., QC Corus 8 x 30 min – Non-Fiction |
| Chaque région du Québec a ses histoires surprenantes et mystérieuses qui ne demandent qu’à être dévoilées au grand jour. Secrets de villages vous invite à prendre la route pour enquêter sur les légendes, les mythes et les faits divers troublants qui frappent l’imaginaire de nos villages. |
| Veille sur moi Pamplemousse Média IX Inc., QC Radio-Canada 6 x 60 min - Fiction |
| Maggie, une grand-mère qui s’occupe seule de son petit-fils depuis trois ans, voit sa vie basculer quand sa fille Corinne revient pour récupérer son enfant, prétendant s’être reprise en main. S’amorce alors une longue bataille où chacune cherche à faire valoir ses droits auprès du petit. |
A reminder that the deadline to apply to the Short-Form Digital Series Production Program is Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 3 PM ET. If you have not done so already, subscribe to the Bell Fund’s mailing list to receive the latest updates.
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