The ripple effect of the federal government cuts to production funding this spring means Canadian producers of non-theatrical or non-broadcast programs also have fewer dollars with which to play.

On May 13, the day before it was set to announce its roster of successful candidates, the Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund suffered a last-minute $250,000 reduction in funding from the Ministry of Canadian Heritage. The reduction continues through 2005, the last year of the current contribution agreement.

Overall, 63 of 205 applicants shared $1.5 million in grants in 2003.

The 14% drop in funding forced the CIFVF juries to reconvene for the dubious task of axing seven projects that had previously made the cut and reducing the funding for another six projects. None of the adversely affected projects have been named publicly, though the producers have been alerted so that they can voice their dissatisfaction, says CIFVF’s office manager Martine Langevin.

According to Langevin, the projects cut were the lower-priority programs from five Canadian regions: Quebec, Ontario, East, West and North.

‘We’re not as sexy as feature film,’ says Langevin, ‘so we get cut first. Because we are small, this cut makes a difference.’

The CIFVF – a national non-profit organization that funds the creation of Canadian film and video projects that promote ‘lifelong learning’ – can offer development applicants up to 49% of a budget or $10,000 and can offer production and post-production applicants up to 49% of a budget or $50,000. For many applicants, the CIFVF is their only funding option because they don’t have broadcasters or distributors attached to their projects.

‘Cuts such as these severely curtail the operation of an already small fund and restrict the CIFVF’s ability to respond to the needs of Canadian producers who want to help Canadians explore and understand the world they live in,’ says the organization in its announcement of successful applicants.

Among the 19 development projects getting funded are Adoption Stories (Collideascope Digital Productions, Nova Scotia), Doormat (Great Five Lakes, Ontario), AIDS in Africa (Green Lion Productions, Quebec), Journey of Speed (First Voice Multimedia, Manitoba) and Our Tears Run Red, Yellow & Green (Tamarin Productions, B.C.).

The four post-production projects are: Climate Change Caravan (See Through Productions, New Brunswick), David Sector: To Be Reel (Gwendolyn Pictures, Manitoba), Stepping Forward: Women of Uganda (Gumboot Productions, B.C.) and Ye’kuana (Productions Kiiskakuna, Quebec).

The 40 production applicants include A Whale of a Tale (Aqua Films, Ontario), Being Osama (Diversus, Quebec), Dying To Be Free (Alethia Productions, Saskatchewan), Pleasant Street (Augusta Productions, Newfoundland), Radio Worth Fighting For (Lorna Thomas Productions, Alberta), The Witness – The Lee Cohen Story (The Koan Project, Nova Scotia) and Weird Sex and Snowshoes: Contemporary Canadian Cinema (Omni Film Productions, B.C.).

Direct-to-home service Star Choice Communications continued $747,000 toward the funding of 24 projects, says the CIFVF. The cuts from Heritage mean CIVFV’s annual budget shrinks from $1.8 million per year to $1.55 million per year.

-www.cifvf.ca