The Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) has made changes to its 2023-2024 production assistance program in areas concerning budgets, director criteria and the number of projects that can be submitted.

The modifications announced Friday (May 12) include an increase in the production estimate threshold for feature-length films considered high budget, from $2.5 million to equal to or greater than $3.5 million, according to a news release.

Requirements for fiction feature films within that budget estimate include that the film be made accessible to as many people as possible in the Quebec market.

The company and the producer must also have produced and screened in Quebec — in a professional context and during the eight years preceding the application — at least two feature films or any other audiovisual works of fiction judged relevant by SODEC and of equivalent budgetary scope.

Meanwhile, SODEC has removed criteria calling for a minimum amount of experience for the director of fiction feature films as well as medium-length and feature-length documentaries under the program, which also supports short fiction and short-format narrative digital projects.

Companies also no longer face a maximum number of projects they can submit. However, there is some criteria surrounding that, including a requirement that if more than two projects are submitted, at least half of the projects must be scripted or directed by women. That criteria applies to fiction feature and documentary films as well as short fiction and short-form narrative digital projects.

Telefilm Canada made changes to its Production Program in November 2021, requiring only films with a budget of $3.5 million or more to secure an eligible distributor for theatrical release in order to be eligible.

Image by Joshua Willson from Pixabay