Montreal: Telescene Film Group has secured an overall production financing facility of us$72 million (cdn$106.5 million) which the Montreal-based producer says will be used exclusively for pilots and series episodes produced under the Action Adventure Network banner.

The credit facility is being provided by the London, Eng.-branch of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg (bil).

The deal is bil’s first tv financing agreement in Canada, and Telescene says the bank was ‘attracted by aan’s unique blend of coproductions, international pre-sales, high profile filmmakers and classic subjects.’

Telescene executive vp and cfo Paul Painter worked on what he calls the ‘exceptionally flexible’ arrangement with bil for more than one year. Painter says the facility represents a major empowerment for Telescene in the dicey business of financing its aan movie pilots, which cost an average of us$4 million. He says the pilots can not be presold and typically are not in a recoupment situation for many months.

The line of credit allows Telescene to access up to $15 million for the purposes of filming pilots and up to $1 million for episodes.

aan is a u.s. production co-venture between Telescene, the controlling partner, Richmel Productions and Goodman/Rosen Productions. aan movie-pilots premier on DirectTv and are subsequently sold into syndication in the u.s. market. The first aan pilot to go to series is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, coproduced with Coote-Hayes Productions, and currently filming through to mid-November on location in Australia. Syndicator New Line Television has cleared Lost World in more than 92% of the u.s. market, representing 199 stations, in prep for a national series launch slated for Sept. 28.

American Film Services represents bil’s media financing activities in the u.s. Telescene’s annual general meeting will be held July 28 in Montreal.