A road movie, a cop comedy and a hero biopic are among the French-language films Telefilm Canada will support this year.

Of the 43 projects submitted to the federal funder, Telefilm has greenlit Piché, the story of pilot Captain Robert Piché who emergency landed a Transat flight in Portugal. The biography will be directed by Érik Canuel (Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Cadavres) and produced by André Dupuy. Telefilm also okayed the cop comedy Opération Tablette from Pierre Gendron, and Roger Frappier’s A l’origine d’un cri, billed as an auteur road movie.

Also selected were: Le journal d’Aurélie Laflamme from Claude and Lucie Veillet; Gerry, a portrait of musician Gerry Boulet, which will be written by well-known arts journalist Nathalie Petrowski and produced by Christian Larouche, formerly of Christal Films, which filed for bankruptcy last year.

Nana Mesnak, a first feature by aboriginal director Yves Sioui-Durand, also got the go-ahead, as did a historical movie set in New France, Le poil de la bête from Réal Chabot Productions. The latter also received funding from SODEC, which announced its decisions Feb. 20.

In all, SODEC supported nine projects, including the romantic comedy Le baiser du barbu from Go Films; Cabotins, a satire and homage about burlesque theater by Novem Communications; and Demande à ceux qui restent, a film about a man who loses his child, from Aetios Productions and Cinémaginaire.

Jutra award-winning director Stéphane Lafleur (Continental, un film sans fusil) received support for the brother-and-sister story En terrains connus from micro_scope. ‘I am thrilled to receive support for my projects,’ Lafleur told Playback Daily from his home in Montreal. Lafleur did not receive support from Telefilm this round.

NDG, a first feature for Michel Monty through Cirrus Productions, also got the green light from SODEC.

Another first feature, Sébastien Pilote’s Le vendeur, also received support, as did La vérité, a film about two adolescents from Camera Oscura. ¿ vos marques… Party! 2 from Christal Films Productions, Gaëa Films and Films Cacha received post-production funding.