The Black Screen Office (BSO) has selected 16 creators for the second round of the Rogers-BSO Script Development Fund.

The $750,000 fund was first established by the BSO in 2021 in partnership with the Rogers Group of Funds and the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for Black and People of Colour creators (CISF), and helps writers take an English or French scripted or documentary project from early development to a second draft or treatment.

The amount of funds given to each creator is “aligned with Writers Guild of Canada rates,” according to a news release, with delivery of drafts and treatments expected for early 2023. The fund also comes with a two-day writers retreat outside of Toronto, led by Meridian Artists president Glenn Cockburn, and additional mentorship and coaching sessions. The mentorship program is supported by a grant from TD Bank Group.

A total of 10 creators were selected for their English-language scripted projects. The recipients include 10 to Watch alum Jadiel Dowlin Lewis, Jason Ip, Lia Langworthy, Helen Lee, Amanda Lo, Jane McLean Guerra, Pavan Moondi, Christine Rodriguez, Kyle Schmalenberg, and Tammy Tsang.

The three creators selected for French-language scripted projects are Laura Kamugisha, Evangéline Kabuya, and Kimberley Ann Surin.

Rounding out the recipients are three documentary creators, with two English-language docs from Linda V. Carter and Jeanette Kong, and a French-language doc from Reda Lahmouid.

The scripted jurors were Ella Cooper, Ryan Cooper, Ann Marie Fleming, Jennifer Irons, Camille Johnson, Allia McLeod, and Elise Wittington; documentary jurors were Linda Fong, Selwyn Jacob, and Aisha Jamal; and French project jurors were Mylène Augustin, Katia Café-Febrissy, Sabine Daniel, and Ky Nam Le Duc.

BSO executive director Joan Jenkinson said the calibre of the projects submitted demonstrates “the wealth of talent that can be found in these communities and how that talent can and should be nurtured to diversify Canada’s screen industries and bring truly inclusive, uniquely Canadian content to the world.”

CISF executive director Sally Lee added: “Properly addressing historical inequities Black and racialized filmmakers have faced in accessing funding takes time and we are proud to be playing a role in providing the widest possible access to funding to filmmakers from our communities at the earliest stage of their projects.”

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