CBC and the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) have launched a joint program to address mental health challenges for documentary filmmakers in the country.

The CBC/DOC Mental Health Initiative for Documentary Filmmakers will provide select documentary film productions in 2025 with $1,000 to be used for mental health support, either directly for producers or allocated to creatives as needed.

The funding, which is separate from the production budget, can be used for subsidizing sessions with an individual’s mental health practitioner or otherwise facilitating access to licensed practitioners with a background in documentary production.

DOC will administer the fund in consultation with CBC, which will be complete when the documentaries from producers who have applied for funding have been delivered to CBC, a CBC spokesperson told Playback Daily.

Any long-form independent documentary film productions currently working with CBC in principal photography in 2025 are eligible to apply. Individuals must be Canadian citizens over the age of 18, and not currently employed by CBC.

Applicants will be contacted by CBC in January, and they will be notified if they are accepted by March 31, according to the program guidelines.

The program was announced Saturday (Dec. 7) at the Whistler Film Festival by Lisa Clarkson, CBC’s executive director of business, rights and production sustainability (pictured, right) alongside DOC’s executive director Sarah Spring (pictured, left).

In 2022, DOC launched the DocuMentality initiative with support from the Canada Media Fund, which was aimed at creating a report on mental health in the industry. The report, a qualitative study released in 2023 that interviewed seven focus groups in Canada, states “the most repeated request across all groups was creating a standard budget line item for mental health support.”

CBC will also be hosting free, 90-minute virtual workshops addressing trauma awareness training for documentary filmmakers on Jan. 29 and 30, 2025. The workshops will be hosted by investigative journalist and mental health educator Dave Seglins.

CBC and DOC will use their findings from the program to enhance DOC’s mental health toolkit.

Image courtesy of CBC and the Documentary Organization of Canada