Talent To Watch

Team Eligibility

In order to apply through WIFT-AT and the Industry Partner Stream, the director of all eligible projects must be a full WIFT-AT member and resident of the Atlantic region for at least six months of the last calendar year. Telefilm requires that all applicants:

• be Canadian citizens, within the definition of the Citizenship Act, or permanent residents within the definition of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
• be emerging talent, i.e., they must have previously produced, directed, and/or written at least a short film (30 minutes or less), web production, television, commercials, music videos, or equivalent experience in the screen-based industry.
  AND
  they must not have previously held the same key position on a feature film.

Note that producers who have previously produced one feature film that has received funding under this program (previously known as the Micro-Budget Production Program) are also considered emerging talent. Additionally, Telefilm will show flexibility in the eligibility evaluation of key creatives who have previously produced, written or directed a feature film project of micro-budget scope (i.e. films which were self-financed, or produced within a festival incubator or
school program) funded outside of this program and that had a limited release.

Please refer to the Telefilm Canada Guidelines for full eligibility requirements. Please read carefully. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure they meet all criteria before submitting to WIFT-AT.

To be eligible, a project must: 

a) be primarily produced in English, French, an Indigenous language or, for artistic imperatives, in another language. 

b) be intended to be fictional, or documentary audiovisual projects. 

c) be a feature length film of 75 minutes or more. 

d) with respect to Canadian content certification, upon completion be either: certified by the Canadian Audio-visual Certification Office (CAVCO) as a “Canadian film or video production” with a minimum of 8 out of 10 points under the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada); or recognized as a treaty coproduction by the Minister of Canadian Heritage (refer to Telefilm’s guidelines on Audiovisual Coproductions). 

e) have a total budget ranging between $150,000 and $500,000. 

f) conform to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Code of Ethics and to all other programming standards endorsed by the CAB or the CRTC, and not contain any element that is an offence under the Criminal Code, is libellous or in any other way unlawful.

The application form will go live on March 16 with a deadline of April 2.

In addition to filling out the form, please email the following in a single PDF to tara@wift-at.com

1) Completed Feature Film screenplay, properly formatted

2) Presentation Video
A downloadable pitch video (Vimeo/YouTube, please include password if necessary) of a maximum of 5 minutes that will: state the project’s working title; identify the genre, the type, and the length of the project; identify the key creative team involved in the project and their individual track records (including samples of past work if applicable or relevant); provide a brief synopsis of the story from beginning to end; outline the creative team’s vision/visual treatment of the material; outline any other relevant information that sets the project apart (e.g.: personal connection to the story material, confirmed appearance by an established actor, successful crowdfunding campaign, relationship with VFX professionals or animators); identify the target audience; and include 1-minute segment of the director’s previous short films.

Note: The video must NOT include footage from other projects that are not the team’s own work i.e. tone reels or reference clips.

3) Project Synopsis (max 750 words)

4) Director’s Vision (max 3 pages)

5) Promotion and Distribution Plan (max 2 pages)
This document must identify the project’s audience (age, sensibility, culture, etc.). It must also identify how
the team will find and access this audience and why they will connect with the project.

6) Track Record for Producer, Writer and Director (find the template via Telefilm here)

7) Production Schedule (from pre-production to release)
The schedule should indicate how the team plans to start principal photography within 18 months of being
selected by Telefilm at the national level.

8) Budget Top Sheet (find the template via Telefilm here)

9) Financing Structure
Telefilm provides a non-repayable contribution of $250,000 for fictional films and $150,000 for
documentaries. Other potential sources of funding might include: NSBI Incentive Fund, Content Creator Fund, Arts Nova Scotia, or team fundraising. The total financing for the project cannot exceed $500,000.

10) Community Engagement Plan (if applicable)
This document is an opportunity for the filmmaking team to demonstrate a plan for how they will responsibly
engage with any underrepresented communities that will be reflected in and thus impacted by the project.

Please submit required materials to tara@wift-at.com in one PDF by Friday, April 2.

Please note: The winning submission will have to officially apply to Telefilm by April 28 through its Dialogue portal.

Projects submitted to WIFT-AT will be evaluated by an independent peer jury of regional filmmakers and film professionals.

Jury members will be asked to consider the following criteria when making their decision:

• Creative Potential—the quality, originality, and innovativeness of the creative content
• Participant Suitability—the track record of the creative team
• Project Feasibility—the feasibility of the production and the production readiness of the project
• Cultural Impact and Audience Reach Potential—the applicant’s promotional strategy to make the film available to its target audience.