November 20, 2024 – The IPF Board of Directors has approved production financing for 12 short form series, 8 in English and 4 in French. With combined financial backing from both the IPF and CMF, the total investment in the 12 series is nearly $3M.

In March, a record 218 projects were submitted to the IPF-CMF Short Form Series Development Program from across Canada. Of those, an evaluation committee selected 33 to receive funding for development and to be potentially eligible to apply to the Short Form Series Production Program on October 3rd.

Production funding applications were analyzed and rated by a select jury of evaluators, as well as the IPF Board of Directors, providing a wide range of perspectives. Evaluators reviewed the creative materials, producer and writer team leads, production schedule, budget and financing, audience engagement planning, recoupment potential, and business and distribution partners.

The approved series represent a broad spectrum of genres, including comedy, drama, mystery, thriller and animation. The selected projects represent both new talents and experienced production teams.

IPF Chair Emilia King commented: “We are truly inspired each year by the remarkable creativity, innovation, and courage we see, and this year’s projects have raised the bar once again. Congratulations to all the creators who poured their hearts into crafting these powerful stories that push limits, invite us to see from new perspectives and reflect the beauty and complexity of the human experience. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated jury, the IPF team, and our board members for their commitment and passion in selecting this year’s exceptional projects. We can’t wait to see what’s next!”

“The CMF is delighted to support 12 amazing projects and see these stories come to life as they move into production,” said CMF President and CEO Valerie Creighton. “Our partnership with the IPF is proof that collaboration yields fantastic results for our creators and our industry. We couldn’t be prouder of the work achieved through this program.”

The IPF-CMF Short Form Series Development and Production Programs exist to stimulate Canadian creative and business expertise in the digital story-telling world and encourage and support new voices in our industry. Successfully marketing and distributing original linear digital series and the talent behind them to Canadian and international audiences is an important measure of success for the program.

The following productions are the recipients of the IPF-CMF 2024 Short Form Series Production financing:

Aced It Comedy erAced Productions Producers: Charlie David, Natasha Advani Thangkhiew Writers: Hools Kay Wyder, Ashley Comeau Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SrxaypbHpw&t=3s Ontario

Casse-toi Drama Roméo & Fils Producers: Jacinthe Robert, Martin Henri, Francis Corbeil-Savage Writer: Raphaël Massicotte Proof of concept: https://fb.watch/u_pkkCdP1B/ Quebec

Confession Queens Comedy Archipelago Productions Producers: Maeve Kern, Jana Stackhouse, Nicholas Ewart Writers: Aditi Raina, Cass Cervi Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIpGitAk9Gc Ontario

Échouées Comedy, Drama Amalga Créations Médias Producers: André Dupuy, Marie-Alexandra Forget, Justine Landreville Writers: Manal Drissi, Gabrielle Lisa Collard Proof of concept: https://www.facebook.com/amalgacreations/videos/884273696941705 Quebec

Eyes in the Woods Drama, Mystery/Thriller Numera Films Producers: Griffin Cork, Kenya Weaver, Cayley Ermter Writers: Alanna Schwartz, Morgan Ermter Proof of concept: https://www.tiktok.com/@youreyesinthewoods/video/7412819245974703366 Alberta

Gone to Hell Adult Animation Banger Media Producers: Brian Peco, Craig Mailman Writer: Brian Peco Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLFosU5vNL4 Ontario

Half-fishing Comedy Dr. Bruno Productions Producer: Lisa Benedetto Writers: Lisa Benedetto, Trevor Christie Proof of concept: https://youtu.be/p2OzxOAWyH4 Ontario

Le confort du diable Comedy, Mystery/Thriller La 115e Producer: Kélyna N. Lauzier Writers: Ariel Poupart, Alexis Roberge Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVLOkuRpN04 Quebec

Mukbang Drama, Mystery/Thriller Babel Films Producers: Philippe-A. Allard, Marco Frascarelli, Mathieu Paiement Writers: Fanie Demeule, Kevin T. Landry Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL4Bp6eEDY4 Quebec

One Baby, Please! Comedy Dunya Media Producer: Shyam Valera Writers: Mostafa Shaker, Adrian Neblett Proof of concept: https://youtu.be/-CiWhteKPe4 British Columbia

Sea Salt Drama, Mystery/Thriller Westgate Pictures Producer: Céleste McNiven Writer: Logan Fulford Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixocVdkprA Prince Edward Island

This Side of the Grave Drama, Comedy, Fantasy Curious Cat Productions Producers: Kimberly Wakefield, Ruth Lawrence Writer: Catharine Parke Proof of concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G4Go2QHq80 British Columbia

About the IPF:

The Independent Production Fund supports Canadian creators, writers, and producers by providing development and production financing for narrative television and short-form series. Since its inception, the IPF has invested over $90M in over 1,100 projects, including 123 Short Form Series Development projects, 191 Short Form Series Productions, 323 TV Productions, and over 550 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.

About the CMF:

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.