The Harold Greenberg Fund has put cash into 23 new and ongoing projects from filmmakers including Brad Peyton (What It’s Like Being Alone), Kevin Tierney (Bon Cop, Bad Cop) and Jonathan Sobol (Citizen Duane) through its script development, equity investment and family film programs.

The script development program is aimed at developing feature film scripts, and will divvy up $1.3 million among 19 titles in first, second and final draft stages.

The fund, run by Astral Media, backed two projects from Toronto’s Accent Entertainment (Fast Food High, Citizen Duane): the comedy A Beginner’s Guide to Endings, penned by Sobol, and the romantic comedy In the Stars, from screenwriter Michael Sparaga (Sidekick). Both are going into second drafts.

‘The Harold Greenberg Fund has been fantastic in terms of its support of writers, to help aid the development process from first draft to packaging,’ says Accent founder and chairman Susan Cavan.

Other recipients in the script development program include: Paula Todd and Francine Zuckerman for their screen adaptation of The Edible Woman, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood; The Trotsky, produced by Tierney; and the fable The Troll Under the Table from screenwriters Peyton and Karen Walton.

‘[The Troll Under the Table] is my most personal work to date and is largely based on my experience growing up in Newfoundland, put through the fairytale filter,’ says Peyton on the phone from Los Angeles, adding that he hopes to have Troll go to camera later this year. ‘It’s my most personal work to date, so I’m hoping it’s the first movie I make.’

‘The round of funding is indicative of our continued goal of supporting exceptionally high-quality projects,’ said John Galway, fund president for the English-language program, in a release.

Recipients in the equity investment program include British director Jamie Thraves’ The Cry of the Owl, from Toronto’s Sienna Films, and the comic drama Real Time, from director Randall Cole (19 Months) for January Films.

In the family film program — which supports the development of films for youth and family audiences and is sponsored by the Astral-owned Family Channel — the two projects selected for funding were Danny and the Kings, penned by Raymond Storey, and The Gift, from screenwriter Paul Nelson.