The Canada Media Fund has unveiled the funding decisions for four programs in its Experimental Stream, allocating more than $23 million dollars in prototype and production support.

In total, $4 million was provided to 18 projects under the Digital Linear Series program; $7.8 million to seven titles in the Commercial Projects program; $7.2 million to seven projects in the Innovation & Experimentation program; and $4.7 million to 21 projects in the Prototyping program.

The Digital Linear Series program supports production for web series heading into their second season or beyond. Selected projects include season two of Zarqa (FUNdamentalist Films) and season three of Farm Crime (Big Cedar Films), with both CBC Gem series earning $250,000 in production financing; season three of the Mary Walsh-helmed Bell Fibe TV series The Missus Downstairs, produced by St. John’s prodco Torbay Ponies (pictured; $150,000) and season two Toronto-based LaRue Entertainment’s horror series Creepy Bits ($250,000).

A sequel to the game Rainbow Billy: Curse of the Leviathan is one of seven games selected for the Commercial Projects program, which supports digital creations with a high probability of commercial success. Rainbow Billy: Middle School Mystery, from Montreal’s ManaVoid Entertainment, received $1.4 million in funding. Other notable recipients are Swarm: Infinite (Pentachromatic Games; $1.4 million) and Robots Can’t Dance (Mighty Yell Studios; $1.1 million).

ManaVoid Entertainment also received support under the Innovation & Experimentation program, which funds “innovative and leading-edge” digital media projects and software, according to CMF. Their game Roots of Yggdrasil picked up $1.25 million in support through the program. Other selections include Top Hero ($967,250), from Toronto-based Cream Productions’ digital division, and 7 Nations ($1.5 million) from Montreal’s Studio Affordance.

Finally, 16 games, four software projects, and one “video-content endeavour” were selected for prototyping funding. Two additions to Montreal-based Felix & Paul Studios’ Space Explorers VR series, Interstellar Arc and The Underworld, each picked up $250,000. Other projects include the game Old People Island ($131,130) from Vancouver’s Ceroma Films and Shakespeare in the Metaverse ($240,000) from fellow Vancouver company Departure Lounge.

Image courtesy of Torbay Ponies