VANCOUVER — Trish Dolman has navigated the stormy waters of film financing for 10 years, trying to land Eco Pirate: The Paul Watson Story on the screen.

‘It’s been a long, long process,’ says the founder of Screen Siren Pictures, but following a recent $250,000 investment from Telefilm Canada, the Vancouver shop is set to finish its portrait of the controversial marine environmentalist. The $750,000 film was one of five docs that got the nod recently from Telefilm and Rogers Group of Funds Theatrical Documentary Program.

‘This is a significant boost for us,’ says Dolman, whose cameras have shadowed Watson as he and his crew travel the high seas on board their vessel the Steve Irwin, and place themselves directly between whalers’ harpoons and the whales. A cofounder of Greenpeace, Watson left the organization 31 years ago to protect marine wildlife worldwide more aggressively. Dolman produces and directs.

She explains that Watson’s image made getting funding difficult. ‘He’s a challenging individual, an anti-hero,’ she notes. ‘Initially, people were wary of him, but publicity has peaked again. Today the subject of environmental activism is more relevant than ever.’

The film meets the funder’s ‘critical requirements,’ says Telefilm Western region exec John Dippong. ‘At the end of the day we look at the submissions and ask: ‘Is it large enough, unique enough to appeal to a theatrical audience? Is it viable financially? Could these projects do good box-office business?’ With Eco Pirate, we came to a quick consensus: this film is one that people will spend 12 bucks on a ticket, get a babysitter, and go to the movies.’

Also selected for English-language funding are: Last Train Home (EyeSteelFilm) and Short History of Progress (Film Progresso). The French-language docs backed in this round are: Le Concert des voix (a Canada/Germany copro with Cine Qua Non Media and bce film) and Les equilibristes (Films du Rapide Blanc).

In December, Telefilm and Rogers renewed their public-private partnership to 2011, with a $4.5-million total budget to finance feature-length projects with production budgets of $750,000 or more during their production and post-production stages.

‘When we piloted this fund in 2005, we didn’t know what to expect. But a lot of good documentaries have flowed from this,’ says Dippong. Eleven projects have so far drawn from the fund, including Manufactured Landscapes, directed by Jennifer Baichwal, and Saving Luna by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit.