The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has selected 54 production companies for the latest round of its Slate Development Pilot Program.

The fiscal 2022-23 recipients — 34 English-language prodcos and 20 French-language — will each receive $75,000 toward the development of up to three projects, totalling $4.05 million.

The pilot program, established in 2021, provides development funding to prodcos for documentary and children’s programming, and does not require a broadcaster to trigger funding.

The CMF announced last December it had increased the pilot program’s budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The inaugural 39 recipients, which were not eligible to receive funding this round, received a total of $3 million in 2021-22.

The funds are provided through either the Automatic Slate Allocation (ASA) or the Selective Slate Allocation (SSA). The ASA requires prodcos to have previously received production or development funding from the CMF and report a minimum amount of gross sales ($75,000 for English, $50,000 for French) in doc and children’s genres. The SSA is open to companies majority-owned and controlled by individuals who are Indigenous or members of racialized companies, and have reported any gross sales of a CMF-funded project within the last five years.

Twenty-two English-language prodcos were selected under the ASA eligibility. The list includes Anaid Productions, Nish Media, Catbird Productions, Arcadia Entertainment, Banger Films, Bunbury Films, Network Productions, Cave 7 Productions, Cineflix Media, Cream Productions, Fahrenheit Films, Copper Quartz Media, Grand Passage Media, Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures, Q Films, Redcloud Studios, Score G Productions, Wild Seasons Media, Yap Films, Beachwood Canyon Productions, Image-In Atlantic and LoCo Motion Pictures.

The 12 English-language companies selected under SSA are Circle Blue Films, Hungry Eyes Media, Mosaic Entertainment, Little Engine Moving Pictures, Eagle Vision, Rezolution Pictures, Fathom Film, Wabung Anung Films Ltd., Taqqut Productions, KarmaFilm, Big Bad Boo Studios and Kistikan Pictures.

The 14 French-language companies chosen for ASA are L’Équipage, DBCom Media, St Laurent TV, Groupe Fair-Play, Lustitia Productions, Les Productions Rivard, Films du Rapide-Blanc, Eureka! Productions, CarpeDiem Film & TV, Blimp Télé, Happy Camper Media, Manito Media, Productions Avenida and Salambo Productions.

Rounding out the recipients are the six French-language prodcos under SSA, including Pimiento, Les Productions Nadiaz, Terre Innue, Productions Prestigo, Wookey Films and Kassiwi Média.

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