The Bell Fund will disburse more than $2.3 million to 36 production companies from eight provinces in the latest round of its Slate Development Program, which helps Canadian indie producers fund their original intellectual property.

The funding will support a total of 90 projects from 27 English-language and nine French-language prodcos based in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.

Of the funded companies, 31% are “majority-owned by individuals from Black, Indigenous or racialized communities,” while 33% are majority-owned by women and 50% were first-time applicants, according to a news release.

In the latest round, 15 out of the 27 English-language companies are from Ontario: 3 Bridges Media; 86 Media House; Black Elephant Productions; Cineflix Media/Cineflix Studios Canada/Connect3 Media; Conquering Lion Pictures; Katawak Productions; Markham Street Films; Miss Magic Productions; Owning the Means; Oya Media Group; REALLIFE Pictures; Resonant Pictures; Saloon Media; Spike & Sadie Media; and The Chosen are Few.

Six are from British Columbia: Big Gay Movies; Oddfellows Pictures; Reality Distortion Field; Red Fox Productions; Slap Happy Cartoon; and Soapbox Productions.

Rounding out the selected English-language prodcos are 3 Story Pictures (Saskatchewan), Lightning Mill (Alberta), Nava Projects (Nova Scotia), Loaded Pictures (Quebec), Zoot Pictures (Manitoba), and Cultivation Pictures (New Brunswick).

Of the French-language prodcos, Fittonia Productions and Moi & Dave are based in Ontario, while Les Productions Passez-Go, Art et essai, Martine aimait les films, Picbois Productions, UGO Média, URBANIA Média, and V10 Média hail from Quebec.

Since 2018, the Bell Fund has supported 148 Canadian independent production companies with more than $10.8 million in development for over 393 projects, said the release.

Supported projects include Reality Distortion Field’s Fakes (CBC Gem and Netflix), Rezolution Pictures’ Little Bird (Crave and APTN lumi), Productions Picbois’ Trafic (Télé-Québec), Le 11 septembre et moi (Télé-Québec) and Soif de revolution (Historia), Pamplemousse’s École de l’info (Ici.Tou.tv), and Toast Studio-Avanti’s Inspirez Expirez (Noovo).

Image of Fakes courtesy of CBC