The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund spent more that $5.5 million on 37 projects last year, according to its recent annual report. This is a slight drop from spending in 2003, which totaled roughly $6 million spread over 48 projects. The decline is attributed to the 40% cut to the fund’s budget in ’03 by the crtc.

The Bell Fund divides its monies between new media projects and their associated television programs. In 2004, the split was $4.6 million for new media, or 85% of all available funding, and nearly $830,000 for television. This compares to the just-under $5 million (81%) spent on new media projects in 2003, and $1.2 million (19%) on their TV show bedfellows.

Among the projects that received production funding last year are 15/Love (Galafilm), Bromwell High (Decode Entertainment), Shipwreck Central/Sea Hunters (Eco-Nova Productions), renegadepress.com (Verité Films/Minds Eye Interactive) and ReGenesis (Xenophile Media/Shaftesbury Films).

Projects that received development funding include M’as-tu lu? (Cirrus Productions), DIY G*D (Riddle Films/SharpMedia), HandPrints (NowNow/Aircraft Pictures) and The Race to Mars (Snap Media/Galafilm).

Twenty-four English-language productions received 71% of the funding in ’04, while 13 French-language projects received 29% of funds, down from 37% in 2003.

Since its creation in 1997, the Bell Fund has committed $32.5 million to 344 new media and television projects.

-www.ipf.ca