May 18, 2018 – From the 2017 crop of web series funded by the Independent Production Fund, Sylvain the Magnificent is now available on the Télé-Québec website. All eight episodes can be viewed starting today. Sylvain the Magnificent tells the story of Sylvain, known as the Magnificent, a well-known Quebec illusionist who is secretly a real magician. Cynical and disillusioned with his profession and fame, Sylvain is going through a major crisis of confidence. His love life is miserable. The competition with his rival, the illusionist Barloute the Amazing, no longer excites him as much as it used to. Amidst all this self-doubt, the arrival of a mysterious stranger threatens to turn his life upside down…

Sylvain the Magnificent is written by Samuel Cantin, a comic book artist, directed by Henry Bernadet, and produced by Martin Henri and Catherine Lemieux of Romeo & fils. The series was selected for the official competition in the short-form format category at Séries Mania.

The FIP invests approximately $1.8 million annually in 12 to 15 web series projects. These series are aimed at all demographic groups. They cover a wide range of genres: action, animation, mystery, comedy, science fiction, and can offer a variety of interactive activities tailored to viewers. The web series are available, among other places, in the “Our Web Series” section of the FIP website.

Since its inception, the FIP has invested $12.8 million in the production of 114 fictional web series and $47 million in the production of television fiction series from 1991 to 2010. The FIP is a foundation and manages a $36 million endowment fund. For its operations and investments in productions, it uses annually the interest from the endowment fund, returns on its investments, and repayments. The board of directors is composed of industry representatives and makes all final investment decisions.