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

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 4, 2024 /CNW/ - The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced the list of Canadian production companies that will receive financial backing in the 49th round of the Fund's Television Production Assistance Program, for which submissions closed on October 1, 2024. In this round, the Fund will disburse a total of nearly $1.8 million. 

Under the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, $584,860 is being granted to three projects from Pixcom International Inc., Jane Losa Films Inc. (in collaboration with Productions du milieu Inc.) and Sphère Animation Inc. The broadcasters supporting the development of these projects are TVA Group Inc., TV5 Québec Canada, Société Radio-Canada and TFO.

Under the Support for the Production of Intellectual Property for International Markets component, launched in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Quebecor Fund is contributing $1,187,057 in this round and the CMF $576,360 for a total of $1,763,417. Quebecor Fund's contribution will be divided among eight fiction series and one documentary series from the following producers: Encore Télévision Inc., Duo Productions Inc., Trio Orange Inc., Les Productions ALSO Inc., Les Productions Passez Go Inc., UGO Média Inc., Productions Casablanca Inc. (in collaboration with Connections Productions Inc.), Productions Pixcom Inc. and Productions Lustitia Inc. The selected productions will air in Canada on Corus Media Inc., TVA Group Inc., Bell Media Inc., TV5 Québec Canada and Société Radio-Canada. The CMF's investment will be divided among eight of these productions.

Since its inception in 1999, Quebecor Fund's Television Production Assistance Program has supported a total of 401 projects involving 99 production companies, 49 Canadian broadcasters and 59 foreign broadcasters with grants totalling nearly $107 million across all of its components. Of the funding granted under Quebecor Fund's three components since spring 2017, 19% has gone to documentaries, 19% to programs for children/youth, 15% to variety/performing arts, and 47% to drama.

Counting this round of the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, launched in March 2017, Quebecor Fund has provided repayable grants totalling more than $14 million to support creation projects in all genres that have received a financial commitment from a recognized French–language broadcasting programming undertaking (BPU).  

Counting this round of the Support for the Production of Intellectual Property for International Markets component, launched in April 2019 in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Quebecor Fund has provided repayable grants of more than $15.3 million and the CMF of $6.5 million, for a total of nearly $22 million. The money enables Québec producers to add value to French–language fiction and documentaries, and to penetrate international markets.

Quebecor Fund and the Canada Media Fund also support export initiatives through the Export Assistance Program (EXAP), which funds the development of audiovisual content adapted for non-Québec and international markets as well as marketing efforts. In this 27th round, Quebecor Fund is investing $200,000 and the CMF $402,000 for a total of $602,000. The funding will go to three business models from the following companies: Amalga Créations Médias Inc., Urbania Média Inc. and Productions Version 10 Inc. Since the inception of EXAP in March 2014, Quebecor Fund has invested more than $12.3 million in 60 export business models with 35 partner companies. Since 2017, the CMF has joined with Quebecor Fund and invested more than $4.8 million for a combined total of more than $17.1 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, Amalga Créations Médias Inc., Trio Orange International Inc. and Encore Télévision Distribution Inc. will receive $160,000 to support the transfer of shares to key female personnel. To date, total financing of $720,000 has been extended under this component to 6 companies and 19 new shareholders.

PRODUCTION PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER THE TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

SUPPORT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS COMPONENT:

FICTION SERIES

Bête Noire - season 3

• Encore Télévision Inc.
  - Canadian broadcaster: Corus Media Inc.
  – Partnership with the CMF

A child vanishes from a summer camp and the authorities are doing little to find him. Boisvert and Éliane conduct their own investigation and discover that the boy was abducted by his father. Our detective duo will do all they can to avert tragedy. But maybe the culprit isn't who we think? There may be a more terrible monster bent on chaos in the picture.

Dernière seconde

• Duo Productions Inc
  – Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group Inc.
  – Partnership with the CMF

After an attack leaves her seriously injured and traumatized, explosives technician Véronique must rebuild her life, recover her dexterity, regain her self-confidence and reclaim her place in the unit. 

Bellefleur - season 2

• Trio Orange Inc.
  – Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media Inc.
  – Partnership with the CMF

Nine months later, Nicolas is single again and back to square one. He has moved in with Minh but something is missing. When Raphaëlle drops a bombshell, his life is turned upside down.

Mr Big

• Les Productions ALSO Inc.
  – Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group Inc.
  – Partnership with the CMF

Inspired by the investigative technique of the same name, Mr. Big is a police procedural about a special unit of the RCMP that orchestrates elaborate sting operations to coax incriminating statements from suspects in serious crimes.

Prends soin

• Les Productions Passez Go Inc.
  – Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media Inc.
  – Partnership with the CMF

Raphaëlle, an orderly, meets Mathias and falls under the spell of his girlfriend Macha, a free-spirited sexual assistant. What starts as an innocent fascination gradually morphs into an obsession. Raphaëlle wants to absorb Macha's essence. Cunning and determined, she manages to insinuate herself into the couple's relationship—and eventually to take control of their lives.

FEM - season 2

• UGO Média Inc.
  – Canadian broadcaster: TV5 Québec Canada
  – Partnership with the CMF

After coming out, Zav is trying to break away from her old crowd and is taking her first steps in Montréal's music industry. To carve out her niche, she needs to define her musical identity and also figure out where she fits on the gender identity spectrum.

Mont-Rouge – season 2

• Casablanca Productions Inc. (coproduction with Connections Productions Inc.)
  – Canadian broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada
  – Partnership with the CMF

A police officer's suicide brings Luc and Manon back to Mont-Rouge. Their stay is extended when they realize it was a homicide. They have to work fast because some villagers are convinced they've found the culprit and are eager for vigilante justice.

Alertes - Édition Spéciale

• Pixcom Productions Inc.
  – Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group Inc.

As he approaches his fifties and the introspection that comes with it, Detective-Sergeant Guillaume Pelletier goes on vacation, planning to spend some quality time with his childhood friend François at his cottage. Instead, he ends up investigating a type of crime that is in the news too often: a femicide in a small town.

DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Saveurs précieuses

• Productions Lustitia Inc.
  – Canadian broadcasters: TV5 Québec Canada
  – Partnership with the CMF

Saveurs précieuses is a captivating eight-part journey around the globe to discover rare and delicious delicacies. Each episode is an immersive 360-degree exploration of a unique and intriguing product. The series celebrates these culinary delights while thoughtfully examining the practical, environmental, social and economic implications of fine dining.

Quebecor Fund
Quebecor Fund was established through Videotron Ltd., a Quebecor Media Inc. company, which provides nearly $5 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 $140.6 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 Television Production Assistance Program will be Tuesday, April 1, 2025, unless a special notice stating otherwise is posted on the website. All applications for all program must be submitted electronically. Visit quebecorfund.ca for more information.

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 voice, 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 cmf-fmc.ca for more information.   

SOURCE Fonds Quebecor

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