The Quebecor Fund Board of Directors today announced the list of Canadian production companies that will receive financial backing in the 42nd round of the Fund’s Television Production Assistance Program, for which submissions closed on April 1, 2021. In this round, the Fund will disburse a total of nearly $2.5 million. 

Of that amount, $225,000 is being granted under the Convergent Production Support component to Productions du Masque inc. (a subsidiary of Productions Déferlantes inc.) for a project that will air on the Canadian broadcaster TVA Group. Under the Creation of Intellectual Property Support component, $1,298,880 is being granted to five projects from Untamed productions 4 inc., Productions Lustitia inc., Maki Média inc., Yzanakio and IceWorks Animation inc. The broadcasters that are backing the development of these projects are TVA Group, Bell Media, Corus and Société Radio-Canada. Under the Production of Intellectual Property Intended for International Markets Support component, launched in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Quebecor Fund is contributing $947,700 in this round and the CMF $527,700 for a total of $1,475,400, to be divided among five fiction projects and one documentary project produced by Trio Orange inc., Productions KOTV II inc., Sphère Média inc., Productions Pixcom inc., Encore Télévision inc. and Les Productions Sovimage inc. The selected productions will air on the Canadian broadcasters TVA Group, Corus and Bell Media.

Since its inception in 1999, Quebecor Fund’s Television Production Assistance Program has supported a total of 320 projects involving 95 production companies, 48 Canadian broadcasters and 34 foreign broadcasters with grants totalling nearly $92 million under all of its components combined. Of the funding granted since spring 2017 under Quebecor Fund’s three components, 25% has gone to documentaries, 21% to programs for children/youth, 24% to variety/performing arts, and 30% to drama.

Under the television and multiplatform sections of the Convergent Production Support component, Quebecor Fund has granted a total of more than $77.4 million to date, including this 42nd round.

Counting this 9th round of the Creation of Intellectual Property Support component, launched in March 2017, Quebecor Fund has provided repayable grants totalling more than $10.1 million to support creation projects in all genres that have received a financial commitment from a recognized French-language broadcasting programming undertaking (BPU). 

Counting this 5th round of the Production of Intellectual Property Intended for International Markets Support component, launched in April 2019 in partnership with the Canada Media Fund (CMF), Quebecor Fund has provided repayable grants of more than $4.4 million and the CMF more than $2.4 million, for a total of nearly $6.9 million. The money enables Québec producers to increase the value of French-language fiction and documentaries in order to break into international markets. 

PRODUCTION PROJECTS FUNDED UNDER THE TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

CONVERGENT PRODUCTION SUPPORT COMPONENT:

Chanteurs masqués (Québec version of The Masked Singer)
•    Productions du Masque inc. (a subsidiary of Productions Déferlantes inc.)
- Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group 
The Masked Singer is a well-known international format with versions in 18 countries. Celebrities disguise themselves in an elaborate costume and sing before a panel, which tries to guess who’s behind the mask based on the voice and carefully phrased hints from the producers. The result is a variety show that mixes music and comedy and appeals to young and old alike. 

The multiplatform component of Chanteurs masqués (Québec version of The Masked Singer) will be a natural extension of the show. The digital experience will feature a colourful mascot with a unique personality who will provide the common thread for the online strategy. He will take us behind the scenes, let us in on backstage secrets and present the content on social media, from Facebook to Instagram and TikTok, helping to draw all audiences to Chanteurs masqués.

PRODUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INTENDED FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS SUPPORT COMPONENT:

DOCUMENTARY

Mégantic
•    Trio Orange inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group 
- Partnership with the CMF
Mégantic is a four-part documentary series about the train tragedy at Lac-Mégantic and the systemic failures that led to the catastrophe, directed by Philippe Falardeau.

DRAMA

Manuel de la vie sauvage
•    Productions KOTV II inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: Corus 
- Partnership with the CMF
Inspired by real-life entrepreneur autobiographies, Manuel de la vie sauvage is a techno-psychological thriller about a fast-expanding Montréal startup and the tumultuous rise of its ambitious CEO, Kevin Bédard. Expect divided loyalties, moral dilemmas and family tragedy. 

Sur invitation
•    Sphère Média inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media 
- Partnership with the CMF
Six people are invited to a gathering on various pretexts. The guests don’t know it, but they have one thing in common: each of them has done something morally questionable but not illegal. Now, in a 2021-style ethics trial, they will have to answer for their deeds. 

Lac-Noir (aka Dans la gueule du loup)
•    Pixcom Productions Inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: TVA Group 
- Partnership with the CMF
Valérie, a 42-year-old policewoman from the big city, moves with her 17-year-old son Dave to Lac-Noir, a tiny, apparently peaceful village in the Laurentians. But strange and threatening things are happening in the isolated hamlet deep in the woods. Valérie must get to the bottom of it and there’s no time to lose. 
 

Moi non plus
•    Encore Télévision inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media 
- Partnership with the CMF
Sarah went into politics a few years ago and quickly rose to Minister of Education. But a careless mistake brings her crashing down from her pedestal and she becomes the central figure in a sensational media scandal. Sarah decides to fight fire with fire: she becomes a media personality herself and co-hosts a radio show with her number one critic, Christian Lamontagne. Working with her worst enemy proves trying for the one-time popular politician, and the fact she’s becoming attracted to him doesn’t help. 
 

Une affaire criminelle (AKA Meurtres non résolus : Nirvana)
•    Les Productions Sovimage inc.
- Canadian broadcaster: Bell Media 
- Partnership with the CMF

Une affaire criminelle is about a mother’s tragic 14-year fight to clear her son, who was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, and the major crime investigator who has always suspected a family member of involvement in the murder but has stayed silent. 

Quebecor Fund has also granted assistance to two new cultural diversity initiatives under its Cultural Initiatives Support Program (CISP). The first is a program conducted by Anaïs BL inc. that supports practical training and skills development for Afro-descendant interns working on the feature film Chien Blanc, directed by Anaïs Barbeau Lavalette. The inclusive hands-on training program will be documented and made available to all members of the Québec audiovisual industry. The CISP is also funding the creation of Mosaïque l’agence des talents de la diversité, a non-profit talent agency that represents artists and cultural workers from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation immigrants, members of long-established ethnic minorities, visible minorities and Indigenous people.