QUEBECOR FUND ANNOUNCES LIST OF FUNDED PRODUCERS UNDER ITS TELEVISION PRODUCTION AND EXPORT SUPPORT PROGRAMS

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 13, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced the list of Canadian production companies that will receive financial backing in the 43rd round of the Fund's Main Television Production Assistance Program, submissions for which closed on October 1, 2021. In this round, the Fund will disburse a total of more than $2.8 million. 

Under the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, $750,000 is being granted to three projects from Productions Pixcom inc., Oasis Animation inc. and Happy Camper Média inc. The broadcasters supporting the development of these projects are TVA Group, 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) which is contributing $972,300 for 8 projects in this round. Quebecor Fund is contributing $2,085,964, for a total of $3,058,264, to be divided among 10 fiction series and two documentary series produced by Sphère Média inc., Productions KOTV inc., Les Productions ALSO inc., St Laurent TV International inc., Productions Pixcom inc., Zone3 inc., Amalga Créations Médias inc., Encore Télévision inc., Urbania TV inc., KOC Productions inc. and Maniwata Films inc. The selected productions will air on the Canadian broadcasters TVA Group, Société Radio-Canada, Bell Media and Télé-Québec.

Since its inception in 1999, Quebecor Fund's Television Production Assistance Program has supported a total of 334 projects involving 98 production companies, 49 Canadian broadcasters and 34 foreign broadcasters with grants totalling nearly $94.8 million under all of its components combined. Of the funding granted since spring 2017 under Quebecor Fund's three components, 23% has gone to documentaries, 21% to programs for children/youth, 21% to variety/performing arts, and 35% to drama.

Under the television and multiplatform sections of the Convergent Production Support component, Quebecor Fund has granted a total of nearly $77.4 million to date, including this 43rd round.

Counting this 10th round of the Support for the Creation of Intellectual Property component, launched in March 2017, Quebecor Fund has provided repayable grants totalling more than $10.8 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 6th 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 $6.5 million and the CMF $3.4 million, for a total of more than $9.9 million. The money enables Québec producers to increase the value of French-language fiction and documentaries in order to break into international markets.

Quebecor Fund also has an Export Assistance Program (EXAP), which supports export initiatives by funding the development of audiovisual content adapted for non-Québec and international markets as well as marketing efforts. Since its inception in March 2014, EXAP has invested nearly $10.3 million in 44 export business models with 29 partner companies, and its partner, the CMF, has invested a total of nearly $2.8 million since 2017. In this 19th round, the CMF is investing $300,000 and Quebecor Fund $550,000 for a total of $850,000. The funding will go to the following three companies: KO Distribution inc., Productions Caramel Film inc. and Encore Télévision-Distribution inc.

PRODUCTION PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER THE
TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

PRODUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INTENDED FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS SUPPORT COMPONENT:

FICTION SERIES

IXE-13

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

A spy series featuring the legendary agent IXE-13, a mythical figure in Québec popular culture, and one of the most extraordinary tales of deceit and treason in the history of Québec.

Plan B - season 4

• Productions KOTV inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada
• Partnership with the CMF

21-year-old Jessy has been running away – from the people he ripped off, from his responsibilities, from all the things in his life that he cannot face. Now, out on parole after 3 months in prison, Jessy is trying to put his family back together. While stealing to survive, he inadvertently discovers Plan B, a travel agency selling trips to the past. Jessy travels back in time to pull off the biggest heist of his career and solve the problems of everyone he knows.

Portrait-Robot - season 2

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

Three weeks after the killing that stunned Montréal, the unit is still in a state of shock. Between the hunt for Maryse's attacker and the reappearance of a serial murderer, Ève and the team have their hands full. And each of them has some secrets to tell – or to hide.

La Binge

• St Laurent TV International inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media
• Partnership with the CMF

Nick is an addict. He's been in detox three times but he's still hooked. His girlfriend Emma has left him again. His last hope for getting clean is a 6-month program at Maison Renaissance, where he'll be sharing quarters with other addicts. At age 40, going back to a dorm lifestyle is hard on his ego. It will be a trying experience but Nick will realize that if he wants to heal, he must stop running away and look deep inside himself. Introspection will be a challenge for a man who has never experienced his emotions without the buffer of drugs. Will he be able to get clean and win back Emma?

La Faille - season 3

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

Detective sergeant Céline Trudeau returns to the village where she grew up and is forced to confront the event that traumatized her when she was 16: the murder of her cousin and best friend. More than 30 years later, she sets out to track down the killer, who has never been found. To find out who did the deed, she will have to risk her life and face the demons of her past, one by one.

Double Faute

• Productions KOTV inc.
•  Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media
• Partnership with the CMF

Double faute tells the story of Charles, a larger-than-life character who struggles to meet the expectations thrust upon him. As in tennis, so in life: a single decisive moment can produce a dramatic reversal of fortune. That's what happens to Charles. First he scores a string of victories at the Montréal Open but then he fails a drug test. The dizzying rise and fall send him into a tailspin of addiction. To turn his life around, he will have to own his mistakes and find a way forward.

Motel Paradis

• Zone3 inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group

After a near-death experience, Jen is sure her 14-year-old sister didn't commit suicide. Determined to discover the truth, she enlists the help of a detective on the verge of retirement. Together, the improbable duo conduct an unorthodox investigation in Jen's isolated hamlet. Motel Paradis is a detective show without a detective, an extraordinary mystery about ordinary people.

Fragments

• Amalga Créations Médias inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada

Paul-André, François and Marlène haven't seen each other in more than 30 years. Now they are reuniting under unusual circumstances. But things have changed since the heady days when they were three-quarters of the Victoriaville Quartet. Renaud has entered Paul-André's life and he still feels the absence of Jacynthe, the central figure in their foursome, who died too young. What will François' return do to the lives of Paul-André and Marlène?

Les Perles

• Encore Télévision inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group

Stéphanie, an upstanding citizen and loving mother, has a fling. But when she returns from a secret southern jaunt with her beau, she has to deal with fall-out she didn't expect. Her best friend Cynthia, who was supposed to cover for her, has told everyone Stéphanie is clinically depressed. The fib has gone viral and now the whole village wants to be supportive. Stéphanie has to save face and most of all she has to reassure her daughters. It's time to refocus on the people who matter most and make things right for her family.

L'air d'aller

• Urbania TV inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Télé-Québec

The stirring story of four ailing friends who rediscover the urgency of living life to the fullest when they learn that one of them may die. A series that break taboos and questions how the healthy look at the sick.

DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Le Projet P&P (working title)

• KOC Productions inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media
• Partnership with the CMF

A gripping investigation into a crime story that made headlines around the world. The series moves from Montréal to Lima and Sydney to uncover the parts of the tale that have never been told and challenges our prejudices along the way.

 Afro Canada

• Maniwata Films inc.
• Canadian broadcaster: Société Radio-Canada
• Partnership with the CMF

Afro Canada is a documentary series that mixes animation, drama, tableaux vivants and performance art to trace four centuries of the little-known history of the Afro-descendants who helped build Canada.

Quebecor Fund
Quebecor Fund was established through Videotron Ltd., a Quebecor Media Inc. company, which provides nearly $5.9 million annually in broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) contributions to the Canadian industry.

Its mission is to support the development, production, marketing and export of high-quality content and its exploitation on various platforms. To date, Quebecor Fund's programs have paid out a total of nearly $123 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 is Friday, April 1, 2022. The deadline for the next round of the Film Production Assistance Program is Tuesday, January 25, 2022, unless a special notice stating otherwise is posted on the website. For reasons of environmental responsibility and efficiency, all applications for all program must now be submitted electronically. For more information, please visit www.quebecorfund.ca.

SOURCE QUEBECOR FUND

Source: Serge Thibaudeau, CEO, Quebecor Fund, 514-842-2497 / [email protected]