Vancouver: Funding demand was hugely up in the spring 2001 Equity Investment Program results announced April 24.

According to rough estimates from a source at Telefilm Canada, applications from drama productions were up 30%, while requests from children’s productions were up 40% and variety and performing arts productions were up perhaps 200%.

Ninety-two English-language projects applied for EIP funding for spring 2001 in the three genres and only 40 were accepted, many of which received less than requested.

On the French side, 50 applications were submitted and 29 received funding.

Last year, the $100-million EIP allocated 69.9% of English-track funds to drama, 14.1% to children’s and 1.6% to variety/performing arts. In the French EIP envelope, 61.9% went to drama, 12.6% to children’s and 5% to variety/performing arts. The EIP’s English envelope offered 14.4% of its funds to docs, while the French counterpart set aside 20.5%.

However, for 2001 Telefilm was unable to confirm total numbers and envelope budgets prior to deadline.

‘It made an already difficult decision more difficult,’ says Elizabeth Friesen, director of operations at Telefilm’s western office, referring to the increased application volumes. ‘There is a lot of disappointment out there.’

While some new series with proportionally high licence fees from their broadcasters made it successfully through the application process, the EIP was again dominated by returning dramatic series including Cold Squad (season V), Made In Canada (IV), Fortier (III) and Red Green (XI).

‘Flagship programming is a priority,’ says Friesen.

On the English side, CBC had 15 projects win EIP, including six series and all four of the successful variety programs. CTV had 11 projects make it through EIP, including seven MOWs. Both Global and YTV had three English-language series earn EIP.

On the French side, Radio-Canada had at least 10 productions funded, while Tele-Quebec has at least six productions going ahead and Groupe TVA five.

Among the new series is the 13-episode Endless Grind (Ocnus Productions) for The Comedy Network, which was shut out of EIP funding last year. Tom Stone, a 13 x 60 series by Alberta Filmworks (makers of North of 60), received enough enthusiasm and support from Telefilm’s western office and CBC to win EIP approvals. CTV’s 13-episode series The Aladdin Project (Shaftesbury Films) is a fresh title to the Canadian broadcast scene.

Notable productions receiving LFP but not EIP money include the third season of teen soap Edgemont (Water Street Pictures) and D’Myna Leagues (Studio B Productions), both Vancouver-based shows.

Notable broadcasters shut out of EIP were A-Channel (with its MOW Don’t Call Me Tonto), History Television (with its returning series History Bites) and CHUM (MOW Wired for Sound).

English producers with multiple productions on the EIP list include list-topper Alliance Atlantis (with four), Salter Street Films, Shaftesbury Films, Barna-Alper Productions, Cochran Entertainment, Epitome Pictures and Galafilm.

French producers with multiple productions include list-topper Zone 3 (with seven), Telefiction, Aetios Productions, Vivaclic and Mediatique.

French-language projects

Seventeen new French-language drama projects have received EIP support this year, including 24 Poses (Productions Pixcom), the Reseau TVA romantic comedy Cauchemar d’amour (Match TV), starring the busy Marina Orsini and Pierre Brassard, Exils (Zone3), Grande Expedition (Telefiction), Hotel des Horizons (Zone3) and the showbiz biography Jean Duceppe, Homme de Theatre (Videofilms).

Other brand-new drama productions for the 2001/02 season are Les Champs de boue (Mediatique), Real-TV (Productions JI), Samuel (Grana/ Cite Amerique), Si la tendance se maintient (Vendome), Tabou (Productions Tabou), Tele-Litte (Mediatique) and the highly anticipated Radio-Canada miniseries Music-Hall (Aetios), also scripted by Larouche and starring the popular Veronique Cloutier.

Returning dramatic series include Fabienne Larouche’s top-rated criminal profiler series Fortier III (Aetios), starring Sophie Lorrain and licensed by TVA, and the Rejean Tremblay-scripted hockey drama Lance et Compte: Nouvelle Generation II (CCH Plus – Communications Claude Heroux), a rare drama entry from Television Quatre Saisons.

Also returning are the conclusion of the SRC youth crime series Tag l’Epilogue (Zone3) and the second season of the Reseau TVA thirtysomething ad agency drama Tribu.com (Sovimed), starring Caroline Neron.

In French-language children’s TV, new EIP-financed production includes 13+ (Vivaclic), Ayoye (Telefiction), Edouard (CineGroupe), Moi (Zone3), Monde a la loupe (Megafun) and Legende du sapin de Noel (Productions 10e Ave.).

Returning children’s series include Bonjour Madame Croque Cerise III (Zone3), the award-winning live-action Cornemuse (Telefiction), the sci-fi sitcom Dans une galaxie pres de chez vous (Zone3), Le Retour – Debrouillards IV (Zone3), licensed by both SRC and Tele-Quebec, Macaroni tout garni IV (Vivaclic) from producer Jean-Pierre Morin and Sciences point com II (Productions R. Charbonneau).

In the variety program category, new EIP-funded production includes En Concert, en prive (Amerimage-Spectra), Exaucee/Salt (XOC Productions), Musique de Chambre (Cine Qua Non), a critically acclaimed and continuing performance series featuring the music of Chopin and Ravel, and Solstice 2001 (ECP).

Two additional variety titles with EIP financing this year are Un Air de Famille II (Mediatique) and Viva la Frida (Cine Qua Non). *