With the Canada Media Fund launch just minutes away, it seems an opportune moment to ask Telefilm which of Canada’s official 56 treaties (with 53 countries) include alternate motion picture and entertainment platforms such as mobile, interactive and gaming.

‘Projects intended solely for other platforms (i.e. online) are not eligible for coproduction certification (with the exception of Italy),’ reports the Crown Corporation, which administers the treaties for the Department of Canadian Heritage.

‘Currently Italy is the only treaty partner with whom Canada has an agreement that includes provision for content intended for media other than film and television,’ says TFC.

In other words, projects intended only for online distribution need not apply for official copro status (except with Italy), which is in keeping with what Stéphane Cardin, Canadian Television Fund VP strategic policy and stakeholder relations, already told stakeholders at Prime Time about the upcoming CMF – that ‘online only’ projects will not be eligible for the new multiplatform coin.

So where does that leave multiplatform projects in the official Canadian copro world? It’s still not clear, but there might be some wiggle room in existing treaties.

‘Film and television productions that also include content intended for other platforms (i.e. convergent content) may be eligible for coproduction certification,’ reports TFC.

But don’t get too excited yet. ‘The eligibility of content intended for platforms other than film or television must be considered within the Coproduction Policy Review currently undertaken by the Department of Canadian Heritage,’ which is ‘pursuant to delegation of authority from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.’ Uh-oh…

And finally, the current definition of eligible projects within most treaties (found in TFC’s current guidelines) is ‘film and television productions of any length or technical medium including fiction, animation and documentaries that comply with the provisions of the audiovisual industry in each coproducing country.’