Sixty French-language television projects took home $1.6 million in development cash from Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Television Fund earlier this month in the first round of funding for the fiscal year 2004/05. Only five applicants were turned down, an 85% acceptance rate.

‘We received sound, high-quality projects,’ says Michel Pradier, director of Telefilm’s French operations and its Quebec office. Telefilm manages the development funding stream at CTF. ‘Our investments will make it possible to develop French-language works from Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. We are also confident that the variety of program proposals submitted will help increase audiences for Canadian cultural products.’

The fund gave $500,000 to documentaries, $750,000 to drama and $375,000 to kids programming. The payouts account for roughly half of the funds in the French-language development envelope.

Applicants were judged on originality, research, experience of the production team, and production values. All of the projects come from Quebec.

‘The goal of this process is to increase the number of centers engaged in creative activity for all programming genres eligible for CTF funding, to encourage the creation of quality projects in an increasingly competitive environment, and to support companies’ development initiatives,’ says Nancy Roch, policy director for French-language markets and sector head of French-language television.

CTF hands out $9 million in development cash per year, one-third of which goes to French-language projects. Deadlines for the remaining French-language rounds are Sept 8 and Nov 24.

English-language shows are not funded in rounds. They apply on a case-by-case basis through CTF’s system of broadcaster envelopes.

-www.canadiantelevisionfund.ca