The producers of the zombie satire Fido and mockumentary The Delicate Art of Parking have signed a multi-year output deal with one of Canada’s biggest distributors, Maple Pictures.

‘We want our films to be seen by as many people as possible,’ says Anagram producer Mary Anne Waterhouse from her Vancouver office. ‘Having a distributor onside such as Maple Pictures is a very big deal.’

The deal was helped along by Telefilm Canada’s Slate Development Pilot Program, which provided Anagram with a three-year $250,000 line of credit to develop four features: The Thaw, an eco-thriller about an ancient parasite threatening humankind; Falling Awake, about a drug that eliminates the need for sleep; The Truth About Lying, which tells the tale of a family of compulsive liars; and Shooting Blanks, a comedy about a couple that wants to conceive.

The Telefilm program is meant to help out market-driven English-language features. Applicants are required to work with an established distributor. In February, Infinity Features scored $250,000 through the same program, following a team-up with Seville.

‘We were already in talks with Maple, but the Slate program helped prompt action and provided structure for our arrangement with the distributor,’ says Waterhouse. ‘This is going to allow us to fast-track projects that would have taken much longer. Two or three of the films, hopefully, will be in production this year.’

‘What’s innovative about this pilot program is that we’re financing the production company and not the project,’ said Wayne Clarkson, executive director of Telefilm, in a statement. ‘What’s also new is that an experienced distributor is involved at the development stage to help ensure high box-office returns in a range of genres. Anagram is poised to release a series of successful features.’

Anagram’s agreement with Maple doesn’t guarantee that the company will distribute the films, explains Waterhouse. ‘Essentially, they have first look.’