The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) are allocating more than $466,000 for 14 French-language series that are based on Quebec literary works.

The Predevelopment Program for Television Series Based on Literary Adaptations program allows companies to pre-develop projects that have not yet received development financing or support from a broadcaster or distributor. It also facilitates financial commitments from partners in the later stages of development or production.

CMF and SODEC each contribute half of the funds.

Five of the selected series are dramas. Allocated the most at $49,875 is the 8 x 60-minute La Renarde (Vendôme télévision), written by Annie Langlois and Jean-François Pouliot and based on the novel of the same name from Chrystine Brouillet.

Receiving $34,556 is the 8 x 60-minute series Jusqu’à ce que ça fasse bang! (Téléfiction Productions), written by Alexandra Larochelle and based on her novel of the same name.

Rounding out the drama selections are Le refuge (6 x 60 minutes; Groupe Fair Play), based on the novel of the same name by Alain Beaulieu and written by Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf; Les péchés ordinaires (10 x 60 minutes; Urbania Média), written by and based on the book from Hugo Meunier; and Une vie inutile (12 x 30 minutes; Les Productions Jumelage), based on the book from Simon Paquet who is also the series’ writer. The series were granted $34,146, $26,280 and $18,459, respectively.

Eight series for children and youth were selected for funding. One of the projects, Héros Mont Dragon (26 x 22 minutes; Happy Camper Média) received $50,000, the most any series was allocated. Héros Mont Dragon is based on the novel from Louis Patalano and Thomas Wilson and written by Patalano.

Another Happy Camper project, Le grand monde du tout petit (30 x 5 minutes), which was allocated $36,786. The series is based on the essay “La Face cachée du grand monde des microbes” from Boucar Diouf and written by Marie-France Landry.

The other children’s and youth series include La ligue des (pas si) champions (26 x 11 minutes; Echo Media Productions 3), written by Julie Roy and based on the novel from Jocelyne Boisvert; Les pires moments de l’histoire (Couleur Point TV), based on the comic strip from Charles Beauchesne, François De Grandpré and Odrée Rousseau who are also writing the series; and Najma dans les étoiles (26 x 12 minutes; Pamplemousse Productions), based on the novel from Farah Alibay and Jeremy Tabor and written by Marie-Josée Ouellet. The projects were allocated $46,000, $36,693 and $29,075, respectively.

Another children’s and youth selection is La langue au chat (18 x 1 minute; Tobo Média), based on the poems La langue au chat et autres poèmes pas bêtes/Comment insulter ses amis et autres poèmes débiles by François Gravel and Laurent Pinabel and written by Pinabel. The project was granted $27,196.

Rounding out the children’s and youth series are Ce qui disparait (13 x 30 minutes; Téléfiction Productions), based on the novel by Marie-Andrée Arsenault and Gabrielle St-Germain and written by Jessica Veillet Loblaw and Une histoire à faire japper (8 x 30 minutes; Films Babel), based on the book from Yves Beauchemin and written by Isabelle Monette. The two series received $18,620 and $8,573, respectively.

The final selection is documentary series La société de provocation (5 x 22 minutes; Les Productions Lustitia), allocated $50,000 and based on the essay “La société de provocation: Essai sur l’obscénité des riches” from Dahlia Namian. It is written by Renée Claude Riendeau.

Image: Unsplash