The Independent Production Fund (IPF) has greenlit development funding for 21 scripted short-form series under its 2025 Short Form Series Development Program.

Selected projects include 13 English and eight French-language series, spanning animation, comedy, horror, science fiction and fantasy. The series are being primarily developed for digital platforms and channels.

A historic 225 applications flooded this year’s program — the highest in IPF history — from a diverse group of creators across nine provinces and two territories, including 11 submissions from Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs). Over 40 national analysts evaluated proposals based on originality, creative team expertise, budget viability and audience potential.

Beyond financial support, the IPF will provide mentorship and advisory services to producers during development. The chosen projects, according to a release from the IPF, reflect Canada’s regional and cultural diversity, with creators and producers from Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and newcomer backgrounds. Each project is able to receive up to $30,000 in funding, IPF CEO Jon Taylor told Playback Daily. The total maximum approved program budget for 2025 is $630,000.

The 2025 IPF approved projects by province:

British Columbia

A Fistful of Garlic up the Patriarchy’s Vampire’s Ass: A comedy produced by Carolyn Saunders through Endzone Films, written by Sean Stevenson and Carolyn Saunders, with story editing by Teresa M. Ho and Izzy Mant.

Getting Glam at Gram’s: A preschool animation project produced by Sasha Duncan through Eh-Okay Entertainment, written by Daniel Fernandes, with story editing by Nicole Rivera.

Nova Scotia

Be Better: A comedy-drama produced by Chelsea Innes through Fennel Films, written by Faly Mevamanana, with development oversight by Jonathan Torrens and Katie McCulloch.

Ontario

Baby Dealer: A comedy/mystery-thriller produced by Leah Cameron through Baby Dealer Season 1 Inc., written by Leah Cameron, with development by Davin Lengyel and Wendy Litner.

Be Kind, F*ck Off!: A comedy/mystery-thriller/horror project produced by Malachi Ellis and Goldbloom Micomonaco through Malachi Ellis Productions, written by Onyeka Oduh, with story editing by Keavy Lynch.

Harmony Gardens: A comedy produced by Brenda Rusnak, Macaulee and Saffron Cassaday through The Best Part, written by Macaulee Cassaday, with development by Dylan Collingwood and Matt Clarke.

Men on the Moon: A fantasy/sci-fi project produced by Charlie Lubiniecki through Border2Border Entertainment, written by Raghed Charabaty, with story editing by Izad Etemadi.

My Bully Mia: A comedy-drama produced by Laura Stubbs and Shawn Ahmed through Ticket Stubbs Productions, written by Laura Stubbs, with story editing by Lisa Rose Snow.

Otherhood: A comedy produced by Heidi Lynch through Bone Vault, written by Heidi Lynch, with story editing by Karen Knox.

Professor Goose: A preschool animation project produced by Matt Code and Natalie Urquhart through Wildling Pictures, written by Jocelyn Geddie, with story editing by Trevor Bentley.

The Integrity of Margaret: A comedy/mystery-thriller produced by Jade Blair through One Ten Productions, written by Erica Genereux Smith, with development by Davin Lengyel and Kayla Lorette.

Newfoundland

Dead Wife Club: A comedy produced by Victoria Germain through Andie Makes Media, written by Amanda Bulman, with story editing by Sherry White.

Quebec

Guénilles & Guédailles: A comedy produced by Véronic Charron through Groupe Fair-Play, written by Douaa Kachache and Sinem Kara, with story editing by Suzie Bouchard.

Les châteaux de sable: A comedy-drama produced by Gabriel Bergeron, Sébastien Iannuzzi and François Robidoux-Descary through Productions Bien Joué, written by Erika Mathieu, with story editing by Geneviève Simard.

Les rois de la main: A comedy produced by Annie Bourdeau and Micho Marquis-Rose through URBANIA Média, written by Sonia Cordeau, with story editing by Jean-François Chagnon.

Montréal-Man: A comedy produced by Louis Bolduc and Jaime Tobon through Encore Télévision, written by Michel Brouillette and Stéphanie Perreault, with story editing by Patrick Lowe.

Pénelope Partout: A comedy-drama produced by Sarah Chatelain and Emilie Beaulieu through Écho Média Productions 3, written by Daphnée Côté-Hallé and Pablo Escobar Tuduri, with story editing by André Gulluni.

Promis Juré: A comedy-drama produced by Roxanne Geoffroy and Érika Gagné through Productions Tête en l’air, written by Érika Gagné, with story editing by Léa Franck.

Sans transit: A comedy-drama produced by André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget and Justine Landreville through Amalga Créations Médias, written by Stephie Mazunya, with development by Justine Landreville and Carmine Pierre-Dufour.

Six petits coeurs brisés: A comedy-drama-horror produced by Camille Mongeau and Emile Lavoie through Martine aimait les films, written by Camille Mongeau and Emile Lavoie, with story editing by Annie St-Pierre.

Voice of the Dead: A horror project produced by Kathy-Ann Thomas and Patricia Gomez Zlatar through Cotton Bush Productions, written by Kathy-Ann Thomas and Patricia Gomez Zlatar, with story editing by Philip Kalin-Hajdu.

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