April 18, 2023 – The Independent Production Fund (IPF) and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) have approved financing for 30 scripted short-form series as part of the 2023 CMF-IPF Development Packaging Program. These are series which are being developed for exploitation primarily on digital platforms and channels. 20 of the approved series are in English and 10 are in French.

The IPF and the CMF are providing a combined investment of $900,000 and will also provide consultation advisory services to the producers of the successful projects.

The CMF-IPF Development Packaging Program is designed to support the development of high quality, Canadian, original, scripted short-form series.

A record 187 eligible projects were submitted from across Canada – 149 English-language, 38 French-language. Representing all regions of Canada, applications were received from 8 provinces and 2 territories. 28 evaluators from across Canada helped analyze and rank the projects providing a wide range of perspectives.

Evaluators looked for originality, authenticity, quality of written creative materials, the experience of the team, the strength of the story editor / development executive, the proposed budget, and the overall potential for success.

The 30 successful applications represent all major genres, including children’s live action, animation, comedy, drama, horror, musical, mystery/thriller, science fiction, and fantasy and come from a broad diversity of creators and producers.

IPF Chair Emilia King commented: “This was a record-breaking year not just in terms of volume but also the caliber of applications we received. We are so thrilled to be part of this exciting era in digital short form series and we cannot wait to see these projects come to life!!”

“The CMF is excited to once again partner with the IPF to support Canadian creators from across the country,” said Valerie Creighton, President & CEO, CMF. “Congrats to all the funding recipients! I look forward to seeing your stories on screens at home and around the world.”

The following productions are the recipients of the 2023 CMF-IPF Development Packaging Program:

About the Independent Production Fund

Since its inception, the IPF has invested $86,371,855 in 1,067 projects: 60 Short Form Series Development projects, 170 Short Form Series Productions, 314 TV Productions, and over 500 Professional Development projects.  The IPF is incorporated as a charitable foundation with an endowment valued at approximately $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.

About the Canada Media Fund

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content for all audiovisual platforms. In addition, it guides Canadian content towards a competitive global digital environment by supporting industry innovation, rewarding success, promoting diversity of voices, and encouraging access to content through public- and private-sector partnerships. The CMF receives funding from the Government of Canada and from cable, satellite, and IP service distributors across the country. Visit the CMF website for more information.