Sixteen domestic feature films will share a $2.5 million boost from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), as the org invests in production and development financing through its Film Fund.

Among the recipients of production financing are seven dramatic Ontario feature films and one doc, while eight other projects have landed development financing, including three docs in late-stage development.

The Fund received 48 applicants, which are then whittled down by an industry jury. Some of the directors whose features in the works for this round include Deepa Mehta, Sarah Polley, Don Shebib, David Weaver and Aaron Woodley.

“Film is big business in Ontario, contributing almost a billion dollars to the economy annually and employing thousands of highly-skilled people,” says OMDC chair Kevin Shea. “(The Fund) has invested more than $17 million in production and development in 134 features in the past five years,” adding that seven films that have received support are showing at this year’s TIFF, including Score: A Hockey Musical, The Bang Bang Club, Barney’s Version, A Beginner’s Guide To Endings, Force Of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie, Oliver Sherman and The Whistleblower.