April 4, 2017 – The Independent Production Fund and its 40- member Pre-Selection Committee have selected 31 projects which are now eligible to advance to Phase 2 of the application process and apply for Production financing. These include 20 projects in English and 11 in French. Five web series previously funded by the IPF are eligible to apply for funding for subsequent seasons.

The IPF received 171 proposals for web series funding from across Canada, in English and in French. Applications included 2-minute proof-of-concept trailers, creative material and audience engagement strategies. New this year, an experienced web series mentor or a new talent was required in a key position on all production teams. All of these criteria were evaluated, scored and discussed by the Pre-Selection Committee members, who are industry professionals and advanced media students.

Producers of the selected short-listed projects are now invited to submit complete Production Applications by May 1, 2017. An international Jury will evaluate these proposals and the Board of Directors of the IPF will make final funding decisions in June.

“There is a flurry of excitement annually about the great proof-of-concept trailers that have been produced during what has been dubbed “IPF Trailer Season”, noted Andra Sheffer, CEO of the IPF. “So many of them have so much potential and producers have been working diligently and creatively to promote their projects and build their audiences. Many hundreds of thousands of viewers have now watched Canadian web series trailers and commented on them. There is a lot of expectation and the selected few on the short-list leave many others disappointed. We hope they will find that the exposure they have received and the audiences they have developed will help them to realize their projects.”

List of short-listed projects:

List of previously funded projects eligible to apply for a subsequent season:

The Independent Production Fund thanks all of the evaluators for undertaking this selection challenge and sharing their insights and viewing experiences.

The IPF invests approximately $1.8 M in the production of 12 – 15 web series each year. These series represent all demographics and genres, including action, animation, thriller, comedy and science fiction. They also offer a variety of interactive activities for viewers. The web series previously funded can be accessed at www.ipf.ca/webseries.

The IPF has invested over $11 M in the production of 99 scripted web drama series in the past 6 years as well as $47 M in the production of television drama from 1991-2010. It is incorporated as a charitable foundation with an endowment valued at $36 M. It uses the interest generated by the endowment and return on its project investments for its annual operations and project funding. The Board of Directors is composed of representatives from the industry and undertakes all final funding decisions.