Toronto, June 2, 2022 – After 31 years as head of the Quebec Office of the Independent Production Fund, Claire Dion is resigning on July 1 to undertake new challenges.

During her tenure as Associate Director, she oversaw the IPF’s funding of hundreds of French-language film, tv, digital and interactive productions and professional development projects. She was one of the first francophones to manage an independent production fund in Quebec dedicated to television: the Maclean Hunter Television Fund, now the Independent Production Fund, and was responsible for the establishment and operations of the Quebec office of the Cogeco Program Development Fund for film and television, and then the Bell Fund for multiplatform, interactive content. She was also a consultant for the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canwest Fund. She started her career at SODEC with the film industry creators.

Jon Taylor, CEO says: “Claire has dedicated her career to defend and promote francophone content throughout Canada. She enthusiastically developed the IPF’s evolving mandate over the years, including its most recent mandate in encouraging new talents to experiment and explore the world of drama through short form series. She is a force to be reckoned with, as most who know her would say! The IPF will not be the same without her passion and vision.”

Chair of the Board, Emilia King adds: “Claire is known for her integrity, enthusiasm and her exceptional abilities to adapt to new challenges. With her ear to the industry, she has responded to their needs over the years to support new forms of content and encourage new talents. The IPF’s reputation and impact have been made stronger thanks to her work during the past three decades.”

From her perspective, Claire added: “My career at the IPF would not have been the same without the partnership with my colleague Andra Sheffer and the support of the IPF team in Montreal and Toronto, and the members of the Board of Directors over the years who were always ready to adopt new ideas and to take risks. I wish the best of luck to Catherine Moreau who’s taking over the Montreal office. I have many memories of exceptional meetings, the excitement of screening new Quebec series, my pride in our participation at the Marseille Webfest, and of course, the cries of joy from young creators who were approved for funding. These have been my rewards, after all these years in a position that I loved!”

More about Claire Dion:

In 2019, Claire was honored at Web fest Berlin with the Impact Award for her “lasting impact on the digital short form series industry” and by Xn Québec with its Numix Tribute Award acknowledging “her fighting spirit and perseverance”. She was particularly moved to receive le prix Nouveaux médias de femmes du cinéma et des nouveaux médias, in 2011.

About IPF:

​​Since its inception, the IPF has invested $83,135,419 in 1,008 projects: 40 Short Form Series Development projects, 161 Short Form Series Productions, 307 TV Productions, and over 500 Professional Development projects. The IPF is incorporated as a charitable foundation with an endowment valued at over $40M. It uses the interest generated by the endowment and return on its project investments for its annual operations and project funding. The IPF Board of Directors is composed of representatives from the industry and makes all final funding decisions.