QUEBECOR FUND ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR PRODUCERS AND DISTRIBUTORS UNDER ITS FILM PRODUCTION AND EXPORT SUPPORT PROGRAMS

MONTRÉAL, March 4, 2026 /CNW/ - The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced funding for three projects under its Film Production Assistance Program and for three business models under its Export Assistance Program (EXAP). 

In the 31st round of the Film Production Assistance Program, submissions for which closed on January 20, 2026, a total of $635,000 was awarded to three projects. The funds will be shared by the following Canadian producers and distributors: Item 7 inc., Max Films inc., Lamalga Films inc. (Amalga Créations Médias inc. and Les films du Lac inc.), Les Films Opale inc., Studios h264 inc. and Immina Films.

Since it was launched in September 2010, the Film Production Assistance Program has granted 120 projects a total of nearly $20.5 million, including nearly $19.5 million for 106 film projects and more than $1 million for 14 event projects.

Through the Export Assistance Program (EXAP), Quebecor Fund and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) also support export initiatives by funding the development of audiovisual content adapted for non-Québec and international markets as well as marketing efforts. In this 31st round, Quebecor Fund is investing $400,000 and the CMF $500,000 for a total of $900,000 in the business models of the following companies: Duo Productions inc., PVP Distribution inc. and La Fête Content & Concept inc. Since its inception in March 2014, Quebecor Fund has invested more than $14 million in 71 export business models with 39 partner companies. The CMF joined Quebecor Fund in supporting the EXAP in 2017 and has since invested nearly $6.4 million. The two partners have therefore invested a combined total of more than $20.4 million.

Since June 2020, Quebecor Fund has granted specific funding to promote women's shareholding in the partner companies that receive EXAP support. In this round, Les Productions La Fête inc. will receive an $80,000 grant to support the transfer of shares to key female personnel. To date, total financing of $800,000 has been extended under this component to 7 companies and 20 new shareholders.

RECIPIENTS:

Le sablier

• Producer: Item 7 inc.
• Distributor: Les Films Opale inc.

Based on the harrowing true story of Édith Blais and Luca Tacchetto, Le Sablier--adapted and directed by Kim Nguyen--follows two adventurous young travelers whose journey from Spain to Togo takes a nightmarish turn when they are abducted by jihadist forces and held in the Malian desert. After 465 days of captivity, they risk everything in a bid for freedom. This gripping drama explores love, dignity and the silence of survival in a world where time stretches into infinity.

La portraitiste

• Producer: Max Films inc.
• Distributors: Les Films Opale inc and Studios h264 inc.

Montréal, 1962. Trapped in a stifling marriage with her controlling husband Germain, Françoise relies on the support of her Aunt Agathe and spends her days working as a receptionist at the police station where her beloved cousin Gilles is an officer. When she's asked to sketch a suspect, her talent for drawing resurfaces and an even more extraordinary gift for telepathy is awakened. Drawn into a chilling investigation alongside Sergeant Stevenson, Françoise follows her prophetic instincts, only to uncover family secrets that echo her own past. As love and liberation beckon, she realizes that every quest leads back to oneself.

Maudits Français

• Producers: Lamalga Films inc. (Amalga Créations Médias inc. and Les films du Lac inc.)
• Distributors: Immina Films

Ambre, a self-conscious Frenchwoman, flees her uptight family and heads to Montréal to study photography. There she falls for with Thomas, a Quebecer who is fascinated by France and allergic to maple syrup. When her visa expires, Ambre must return to France. Unwilling to separate, they decide to get married--or try to. Their clashing families meet in France to celebrate a marriage with one language but not always the same words, two cultures and many friction points. Will the couple survive their nuptials?

Quebecor Fund

Quebecor Fund was established through Videotron Ltd., a Quebecor Media Inc. company, which provides more than $4.9 million annually in broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to Canada's film and television industry.

It is a non-profit private fund that supports the development, production, marketing and export of high-quality content and its exploitation on multiple platforms. To date, Quebecor Fund's programs have disbursed a total of more than $148.2 million.

The Board of Directors is responsible for all decisions pertaining to the Fund, including its priorities, and is entirely and exclusively responsible for its funding decisions. The deadline for submissions for the next round of the Film Production Assistance Program is Tuesday, May 19, 2026, unless a special notice stating otherwise is posted on the website. For more information, see the guidelines on the Quebecor Fund website at www.fondsquebecor.ca/en/.

About the Canada Media Fund 

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voices, and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada's cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors. Visit the website for more information.  

SOURCE Quebecor Fund

Sources: Serge Thibaudeau, CEO, Quebecor Fund, [email protected]; Maxime Ruel, Senior Manager, Communications, Canada Media Fund, [email protected]