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

MONTRÉAL, June 19, 2024 /CNW/ - The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced the list of Canadian production companies that will receive financial support in the 48th round of the Fund's Television Production Assistance Program, for which submissions closed on April 2, 2024. In this round, the Fund will disburse a total of more than $2.1 million. 

Under the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, $775,000 has been granted to four projects from Untamed Productions 4 Inc., PVP Média inc., Terre Innue inc. and Happy Camper Média inc. The broadcasters investing in the development of these projects are TVA Group, Société Radio‑Canada and APTN. 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 $1,325,160 in this round and the CMF $523,640 for a total of $1,848,800. Quebecor Fund's investment will be divided among seven fiction series and one documentary series produced by PaNik Fiction inc., Sphère Média inc., Productions Pixcom inc., Aetios Productions inc., Productions KOTV inc., Amalga Créations Médias inc. and Terre Innue inc. The selected productions will air in Canada on Bell Media, Corus, TVA Group, Télé‑Québec, APTN and Société Radio‑Canada. The CMF's investment will be divided among seven of these productions.

Since its inception in 1999, Quebecor Fund's Television Production Assistance Program has supported a total of 389 projects involving 98 production companies, 49 Canadian broadcasters and 59 foreign broadcasters with grants totalling more than $105 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, 16% to variety/performing arts, and 46% 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 $13.5 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 $14.1 million and the CMF more than $5.9 million, for a total of more than $20 million. The money enables Québec producers to add value to French‑language fiction and documentaries, and to penetrate international markets.

PRODUCTION PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER THE TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

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

FICTION SERIES

Bon Cop, Bad Cop

• PaNik Fiction inc.
  •  Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media
  •  Partnership with the CMF

Adapted from the Bon Cop, Bad Cop films, this series follows the adventures of Martin Ward (Colm Feore) and David Bouchard (Patrick Huard) as they reunite for an investigation involving an Indigenous community. They team up with a new generation of cops who are as unorthodox as they are.

Anticosti

• Sphère Média inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: Corus
  • Partnership with the CMF

A woman is found dead at the foot of a cliff on Anticosti Island. The police declare it a suicide. But the islanders don't buy it. The dead woman's childhood friend Justine teams up with Michael, the island's gamekeeper, to solve the case.

Le dernier des monstres

• Pixcom Productions inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group
  • Partnership with the CMF

Thomas, a 33‑year‑old theologian and paragon of kindness, finds himself at the centre of a police investigation into a series of murders involving a religious sect seeking media attention.

L'appel

• Aetios Productions inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group
  • Partnership with the CMF

The series L'Appel tells the story of the arrest and conviction of Maurice Boucher, leader of the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels.

LIAM

• Productions KOTV inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: Télé‑Québec
  • Partnership with the CMF

LIAM looks like a 16‑year‑old boy but he is actually a humanoid created in a secret AI lab. Against all expectations, he starts developing a will of his own and feeling emotions. One of his creators, Dr. Wood, must reformat him. Otherwise, Liam will refuse to carry out the mission for which he was designed: the enslavement of humankind. A small band of teenagers join together to protect LIAM and foil Dr Wood's plans.

La reconstruction d'Anna Brodeur

• Sphère Média inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media
  • Partnership with the CMF

After 10 years of self‑imposed exile in Paris, extraordinary circumstances bring Anna Brodeur back to Québec. Her return will send shockwaves through her community.

Sorcières – Season 2

• Amalga Créations Médias inc.
  • Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group

The past resurfaces for Joe, Agnes and Beth. The arrival of a person connected with the commune will disrupt the lives of the three sisters. The story behind the baby found at the falls will be revealed, with serious consequences for some of the characters.

DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Voyager le nord

• Terre Innue inc.
  • Canadian broadcasters: APTN / Société Radio‑Canada
  • Partnership with the CMF

Voyager le Nord is an adventure documentary series directed by Kim O'Bomsawin that shows how Indigenous people in the Far North are reclaiming the land by traveling through Arctic landscapes by a thousand and one means—from the traditional to the ultra‑modern.

Quebecor Fund

Quebecor Fund was established through Videotron Ltd., a Quebecor Media Inc. company, which provides more than $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 paid out a total of nearly $137.4 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, October 1, 2024, unless a special notice stating otherwise is posted on the website. All applications for all program must be submitted electronically. For more information, please visit www.quebecorfund.ca.

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. It receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada's cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors. For more information, please visit our website.

SOURCE QUEBECOR FUND

Sources: Serge Thibaudeau, CEO, Quebecor Fund, 514 842 2497 / [email protected]; Maxime Ruel, Senior Manager, Communications, Canada Media Fund, mruel@cmf fmc.ca