Crawlspace, The Next Morning and What We Have are among the eight projects that have been selected in Telefilm Canada’s new micro-budget program, receiving $120,000 apiece in funding.

The pilot program, launched last June with a total budget of $1 million, supports new filmmakers in producing their first feature-length projects, which must use innovative production techniques and release strategies across multiple digital platforms to qualify.

To be eligible for the program, the project’s producer must have produced or directed at least one short film.

The finalists will be featured at the Regard sur le court au Saguenay short film festival in Quebec March 13 to 17, where a special program will present a selection of the filmmakers’ earlier shorts.

The finalists were selected from 24 projects preselected by Telefilm’s educational and training institution partners. The project producer must also be a student or recent alumnus from one of the partner production programs or an active member of a film cooperative that is part of the network.

The complete list of finalists is as follows:

• Crawlspace, by Christian Sparkes (director), Allison White and Chris Agoston (producers); Partner: Nova Scotia College of Art & Design (NSCAD) University
• Down in the Valley, by Kyle Thomas (writer, director, producer) and Cameron MacGowan (producer); Partner: Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF)
• The Editor, by Matthew Kennedy and Adam Brooks (directors and producers); Partner: University of British Columbia (UBC) Film Production Program
• The Next Morning, by Matt Sadowski (writer, director, producer) and Peter Harvey (producer); Partner: National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI)
• The Secret Trial 5, by Amar Wala (director, producer) and Noah Bingham (producer); Partner: York University
• Two4One, by Maureen Bradley (writer, director); Partner: Creative Women Workshops Association
• Un film de chasse de filles, by Julie Lambert (writer, director, producer), Sonia Despars and Marc Biron (producers); Partner: Spirafilm
• What We Have, by Maxime Desmons (director, producer) and Sally Karam (producer); Partner: Canadian Film Centre (CFC)

The filmmakers must use the money to produce, distribute and promote a feature-length film for release via multiple distribution platforms, emphasizing digital media, within 15 months.

In addition, Technicolor Canada this year will offer a sponsorship of $15,000 in services to finalists who use the company for their films’ post-production services.