CBC today announced the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund in support of underrepresented Canadian creators, offering critical resources to filmmakers struggling to make their unique voices heard. With the new fund, CBC will help finance English-language feature film projects that are written or directed by Canadian women, Indigenous persons, visible minorities and persons with a disability who have had at least one feature-length film showcased at a recognized film festival. Submissions are now being accepted with no formal deadlines. Further information is available at http://www.cbc.ca/breakingbarriers/.
“With the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund, we are striving to make a meaningful difference by supporting underrepresented creators directly and investing in their feature films,” said Heather Conway, executive vice-president, English Services, CBC. “This new model will offer vital resources to writers and directors who have historically been at a disadvantage in accessing financing, and will ensure their films are promoted to much broader audiences in Canada through distribution on CBC’s television and digital platforms.”
To qualify for the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund, projects must be in a fictional genre, have an existing first draft script and not yet be in production. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for funding of either 10 or 20 percent of the film’s proposed budget (capped at $1 million for 10 percent projects and $2 million for 20 percent projects). Eligible projects will be judged solely on creative merit.
Carolle Brabant, executive director, Telefilm Canada, added: “Congratulations to the CBC for taking this important step. Telefilm is committed to financially supporting features chosen by the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund. As two national cultural agencies, both organizations must take a leadership role in addressing diversity in our industry. CBC's Breaking Barriers Film Fund complements our own objective, to have by 2020, a feature film portfolio that better reflects Canada’s diverse population.”
CBC will make an initial investment of at least $7.5 million in the CBC Breaking Barriers Film Fund over the next three years. The Fund will complement CBC’s existing and continued commitment to Canadian film, including licensing more than 50 Canadian feature films since 2014. For application guidelines and details regarding CBC’s rights expectations please visit http://www.cbc.ca/breakingbarriers/.
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CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada's trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
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For further information, please contact:
Tanya Koivusalo, publicist, CBC
416-205-6863
Katherine Wolfgang, head of publicity, CBC
416-205-2772
