The Canada Media Fund is supporting its first round of evaluation for its Aboriginal and Francophone Minority Program with a total contribution of $9 million.

Nine convergent projects in the Aboriginal program have landed CMF support, including eight TV components and nine with digital media, including Guardians (early sketch, pictured) from Saskatchewan’s Wapos Bay Productions and Wapos Bay Interactive.

Seven of the selected nine are documentary programs, while the remaining two are children- and youth-focused, for a total of $3.4 million, with $2.9 million comprising TV projects for broadcast partners APTN and the Nunavut Independent Television Network.

Meanwhile, the Francophone Minority Program is on board for 11 convergent projects. Documentaries make up almost half of the selected projects (five), followed by two each of children’s and youth, drama and variety and performing arts.

In the Francophone Minority Program, the CMF will support 11 convergent projects in the first round of decisions (including six rich and substantial digital media components) out of 15 projects submitted.

Two of the convergent projects selected are children’s and youth programs, five are documentary programs, including Les Bleus de Ramville II, which is receiving $1.2 million in funding. A pair of dramas and another pair of variety and performing arts projects will also be supported, for a total CMF contribution of $5.6 million.

Television projects are receiving $5.4 million, with broadcast partners TFO, SRC and ARTV, and the remaining $211,000 will go to the digital media projects.