International Promotion Program

Who can apply

1 Participation in International Festivals

1.1 Eligibility Criteria for Applicants

To be eligible, the Applicant must:

1. be the producer, distributor or sales agent of an eligible project as defined in section 1.2; and
2. be a Canadian-controlled company within the meaning of the Investment Canada Act and have its head office

in Canada.

1.2 Eligibility Criteria for Projects

Projects eligible for support for participation in international festivals are short or feature films, television series and extended reality (XR) projects that meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. For feature films1:
2. be a Canadian fictional or documentary feature film that has either been certified by the Canadian Audio-

visual Certification Office (CAVCO) as a “Canadian film or video production” with a minimum of 8 out of 10 points2 under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada) or is eligible for such certification; and

1. have been officially selected at one of the international film festivals and in one of the tiers indicated in

Appendix A.

2. For short films3:
3. be directed and produced by Canadian citizens as defined in the Citizenship Act, or permanent residents

of Canada as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and

1. be selected at one of the festivals listed in Appendix B.
2. For television series:
3. be a Canadian series, each episode of which has either been certified by the Canadian Audio-Visual

Certification Office (CAVCO) as a “Canadian film or video production” with a minimum of 8 out of 10 points under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada) or is eligible for such certification; and

1. have been selected at one of the festivals listed in Appendix C.

Feature films are audiovisual productions of at least 75 minutes in length or productions selected as feature films by the festival(s) for which the applicant is requesting funding support from Telefilm.

Theatrical documentaries must obtain a minimum of 8 out of 10 points or the prorated equivalent (i.e. a minimum of 80% of available CAVCO points).

Short films are audiovisual productions of 30 minutes or less.

4. For extended reality (XR)4 projects:
5. be produced in Canada and at least 75% of eligible production expenses are Canadian;
6. have its underlying rights sufficiently and meaningfully owned and developed by Canadian citizens as defined

in the Citizenship Act or permanent residents as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and

1. have been selected at one of the festivals listed in Appendix D.

Official coproductions: Projects that have been recognized by the Minister of Canadian Heritage as audiovisual treaty coproductions are eligible if they are selected at a festival listed in the appendix corresponding to their format5.

Additional eligibility criteria applicable to all projects: In addition to the above criteria, all projects, regardless of format, must:

1. be made available in French or English (in their original or subtitled version);
2. conform to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) code of ethics and to all other programming

standards endorsed by the CAB or the CRTC, and not contain any element that is an offence under the Criminal Code, is libellous or in any other way unlawful.

Note: The lists of festivals in appendices A to D are subject to change and may be updated by Telefilm at its discretion. If your project has been selected for a festival that is not listed in the applicable appendix, it may still be considered eligible. Please contact Telefilm before submitting your application.

2 Participation in Telefilm’s International Initiatives

Subject to the availability of funds, Telefilm may provide financial support to Canadian-controlled companies6 operating as production or distribution companies or sales agencies that have received a formal invitation from Telefilm to present a project as part of one of its international initiatives or a specific initiative organized in partnership with other organizations as part of its international presence.

3 Invitation to Coproduction Markets

Subject to the availability of funds, Telefilm may provide funding support to Canadian-controlled companies7 operating as production companies whose Canadian producer and/or director has received an invitation to present a project in development at one of the coproduction markets listed in Appendix E. Telefilm’s funding must be used to cover the travel expenses of the above-mentioned individuals for their participation in the applicable event and will not exceed the maximums set out in the following grid:

Furthermore, costs already covered by another organization or entity, or paid for by a festival, cannot be included in the amounts claimed Also, please note that only those who have received a formal invitation from the organizers of events listed in Appendix E will be eligible.8 Therefore, this funding is not intended for individuals who register as exhibitors or participants at international markets, but rather for those selected to submit a project by organizers of events listed in Appendix E.