Telefilm Canada announces names of 15 finalists of Micro-Budget Production Program for 2014-2015

MONTREAL, April 24, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce the finalists of its 2014-2015 Micro-Budget Production Program. The 15 emerging talents, including three Aboriginal filmmakers, come from all regions of the country. This is the second edition of filmmakers selected as finalists of this initiative created in June 2012. Telefilm will contribute up to $1.5 million to this year's program.

The Micro-Budget Production Program supports new filmmakers seeking to produce their first feature-length films, with an emphasis on the use of digital platforms for distribution and marketing. Candidates for this year's program were recommended to Telefilm through a network of 32 institutional partners from the film education and training community across Canada.

The new Aboriginal component of the program was launched in October 2013, following studies on the involvement of Aboriginal filmmakers in the Canadian audiovisual industry. In total, six Aboriginal educational institutions now act as program partners to help increase support and visibility for Aboriginal creators.

"Audiences today are hungry for good stories and have access to content on even more platforms," said Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. "I would like to thank the many partners who have made this innovative project a success: the educational institutions with special access to talent in their region; Technicolor, our exclusive partner in post-production services; as well as our promotional partners on the Aboriginal production front, Terres en vue and the imagineNative Film + Media Arts Festival."

The 2014-2015 finalists

New Aboriginal component

Le Dep, by Sonia Boileau (director) and Jason Brennan (producer), Quebec
Partner: Wapikoni mobile

Fire Song, by Adam Garnet Jones (director) and Laura Milliken (producer), Ontario
Partner: National Screen Institute

The Road of Iniquity, by Mark Ennis (director and producer), New Brunswick
Adam Beach Film Institute

Main component

Les 3 singes, by Alexis Fortier, Francis Fortin, Maxime Rheault (directors) and Jeanne-Marie Poulain (producer), Quebec
Partner: Institut national de l'image et du son

All the Time in the World, by Suzanne Crocker (director and producer), Yukon
Partner: Yukon Film Society

Bienvenue à FL, by Geneviève Dulude-Decelles (director) and Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew (producers), Quebec
Partner: Université du Québec à Montréal

Déserts, by Yann-Manuel Hernandez and Charles-André Coderre (directors and producers), Quebec
Partner: Université de Montréal

The Devout, by Connor Gaston (director) and Daniel Hogg (producer), British Columbia
Partner: Cinevic: Society of Independent Filmmakers 

Finding Al—A Documentary, by Kelly-Anne Riess (director and producer), Saskatchewan
Partner: Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative

The Grey Jacket Story, by Alexander Carson (director) and Jeff Hanes (producer), Ontario
Partner: Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of Ottawa

Kuperman, by Harmony Wagner (director) and Jason Rogerson (producer), Prince Edward Island
Partner: Island Media Arts Cooperative

The Lockpicker, by Randall Okita (director and producer) and Robert Fisher (producer), Ontario
Partner: Canadian Film Centre

Mom and Me, by Lena Elizabeth Macdonald (director and producer), Ontario
Partner: Sheridan College

North Mountain, by Bretten Hannam (director) and Kevin Kincaid (producer), Nova Scotia
Partner: Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University

Shadow in the Woods, by Jeremy Lutter (director and producer) and Robin Chan (producer), British Columbia
Partner: National Screen Institute

The selection process and team
The 2014-2015 jury of the Micro-Budget Production Program reviewed a total of 34 preselected projects recommended by Telefilm's network of partners (main component, Aboriginal component), including 28 for the main component and six for the Aboriginal component. The producer of the project must be a student or recent alumnus from one of these partners or an active member of a film cooperative that is part of the network.

The jury is made up of representatives from Telefilm's Feature Film sector, and two external experts: Jesse Wente, film critic and programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival and imagineNATIVE, and former president of Native Earth Performing Arts Canada, the oldest Aboriginal theatre company in the country; and Mario Mercier, founder and creative director of orangetango, a design and communications agency that has garnered awards both nationally and internationally.

About Telefilm Canada
Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada's audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

SOURCE: Telefilm Canada

Douglas Chow, Manager, External Communications, [phone], ext. 2225 or 1-800-567-0890, [e-mail]