With Canada in focus at this year’s Locarno Pro First Look, representatives from Telefilm Canada offered a deep dive into the country’s co-production and financing landscape, revealing both familiar advantages and evolving opportunities for international collaboration.
Speaking at the session "Co-financing and Co-production Opportunities in Canada," Telefilm executives Danielle Bélanger, Marielle Pouplein, and Lucie Meynial, joined by moderator Enrico Vannucci of Eurimages, outlined the funding ecosystem, treaty frameworks, and practical tools available to foreign producers seeking to partner with Canada.
A Broad, Treaty-Backed Co-Production Network
Canada currently maintains almost 60 official co-production treaties across the globe, with recent updates modernizing terms and lowering thresholds.
The Canada–Switzerland treaty, modernized in 2023, illustrates this shift:
- Minimum financial contribution lowered to 15% for bilateral and 10% for multilateral co-productions.
- Proportionality requirements ensure financial shares align with copyright, revenue, creative roles, and national spending.
- A distribution requirement mandates a broadcaster or distributor be attached.
- Applications must be filed at least two months before principal photography, with the same materials submitted to both Telefilm Canada and the partner country’s authority.
Crucially, Meynial stressed that co-production certification is separate from financing: being treaty-recognized does not guarantee Telefilm investment.
Financing: Majority vs. Minority Approaches
Pouplein broke down the nuances of Telefilm’s investment criteria and timelines:
- Fiscal year cycle: Runs from April 1 to March 31 — a decisive factor in scheduling applications. Major funding calls for the current year close well before March.
- Majority Canadian projects: Up to CAD $4M (English or other languages) or CAD $3.5M (French), capped at 49% of the total budget.
- Budgets between $1.5M–$3.5M: Around one-third of eligible Canadian costs.
- Minority co-productions: Typically CAD $250K–$300K; can reach $500K for exceptional, viable projects — especially with Canadian key creatives (director, writer, or principal cast).
- Documentaries: Telefilm supports theatrical-release documentaries via a single annual application window.
Telefilm funds projects in languages beyond English and French, a relatively recent and significant expansion, and maintains a dedicated CAD $4M annual Indigenous Fund supporting about 18 projects per year.
Stacking the Financing: Provinces and Tax Credits
Canada’s federal and provincial tax credits remain a major draw, with some provinces offering generous, location-specific incentives. Even without a formal co-production, service productions may access these, though without federal equity participation. Tax credits are bankable in Canada’s financing ecosystem, with banks accustomed to interim financing, a reliability factor for producers seeking predictable cash flow.
Beyond Funding: Post-Production Support and Promotion
Telefilm’s International Promotion Program offers valuable post-financing incentives:
- Travel grants for key creatives attending major festivals (200 recognized worldwide).
- Distribution support for foreign P&A costs and minimum guarantees, covering up to 50% of costs, capped at CAD $35K per territory and CAD $90K annually.
- Curated pre-selection screenings in Montreal for programmers from Berlinale, Sundance, Busan, Cannes, and others.
Such measures aim to make Canadian (and co-produced) films more competitive internationally, particularly in the crowded festival and sales arena.
Finding Your Canadian Partner
As Danielle Bélanger emphasized, “To start a co-production, you need a partner.” Telefilm offers two key databases:
- RDV Canada (rdvcanada.ca): Profiles Canadian producers and showcases international initiatives, matchmaking events, and market participation.
- Telefilm’s Co-Production Database: Searchable by country and genre, showing who has previously co-produced with Canada.
Producers are also encouraged to network via provincial agencies (SODEC, Ontario Creates, Creative BC, etc.) and international training networks such as ACE and EAVE.
Eurimages, New Dawn, and Other International Funds
Canada joined Eurimages in 2017, the only non-European country to do so, enabling bilateral projects with member states without requiring a third partner. More than 30 projects have been supported so far.
Pouplein also highlighted the New Dawn Fund, a multi-country European–Canadian initiative launched in 2022 to support diverse voices. Participation requires that creative leads hail from member countries.
Trends: Co-Productions as the Norm
While co-productions have long been part of Canada’s film DNA, Danielle Bélanger noted a marked uptick: “Eight out of twelve low-budget English-language features we just financed were co-productions. It’s not an exception anymore.”
From festival contenders like Yunan (Berlinale competition) to genre titles such as The Father and Son, the model spans art-house to commercial sectors, reinforcing Canada’s versatility as a partner.
Cover image courtesy of Locarno Film Festival