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Theatrical documentary program
Support for feature-length theatrical documentaries
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Location
Quebec, Canada
Overview
The Theatrical Documentary Program supports Canadian audiovisual production companies developing feature-length documentaries for the Canadian theatrical market, with Telefilm Canada financing up to 49% of eligible Canadian costs. It backs production and post-production work, including rough cuts, completion plans, and audience engagement planning.
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At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Access new markets
- Launch or market a product/service
Eligible Funding
- Varies by project
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Quebec
Legal structures
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Indigenous Peoples
- Persons with Disabilities
- Language Minorities
- Other Racialized Persons
- Black Canadians
- 2SLGBTQI+
- Canadians
- Women
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
Availability timeline
2026
Periods: 3
Activities funded
- Production stage feature-length documentary projects.
- Postproduction stage feature-length documentary projects.
Documents Needed
- Key Personnel Track Record
- Audience engagement and discoverability plan
- Financing Plan Template
- Standard Budget Template
- Declaration of Canadian Status of Corporation and Corporate Information
Sources and recorded changes
- Source change captured
- Change recorded
- Record updated
A captured source change or record update does not confirm eligibility. Check the funder’s current rules before applying.
Theatrical Documentary Program dates and access updated
The program materials now show the 2026-27 cycle, including updated key dates and refreshed supporting documents and access pages.
The Theatrical Documentary Program materials now show the 2026-27 cycle, with the key dates changing from March 19, 2025 to April 02, 2025 to March 19, 2026 to April 02, 2026. The supporting document set also now shows February 12, 2026 dates for the Guidelines, Essential Information Guide, Evaluation Grid, and List of Required Documents. The Dialogue access and contact page was also reworked, with login, account-creation, and guide/tutorial links no longer presented in the same way and the help contacts split into separate rows. The program scope and funding terms still appear to be centered on the same feature-length documentary production and post-production stream.
Program guide
Application form
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Canadian audiovisual production companies.
- Broadcaster-affiliated production companies based outside Quebec that meet the basic eligibility criteria.
Who is not eligible
- Individuals are not eligible to apply.
Eligible expenses
- Eligible Canadian production costs.
- Eligible Canadian post-production costs.
- Encoding, closed captioning, subtitling, dubbing, and video description costs.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Projects intended primarily for the video or television market.
Eligible geographic areas
- Canada
- Outside Quebec for broadcaster-affiliated production companies
Selection criteria
- Creative Elements
- Track Record of the Key Creative Personnel
- Project Viability
- Theatrical Potential, Cultural Impact and Audience Reach Potential
How to apply
- Applications must be submitted through Dialogue.
Processing and Agreement
- Provided that the applications submitted are complete, funding decisions on production financing requests are aimed to be made within 80 business days of the closing date to apply to the program.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Theatrical documentary program Program
What is the Theatrical documentary program?
The Theatrical Documentary Program supports Canadian audiovisual production companies developing feature-length documentaries for the Canadian theatrical market, with Telefilm Canada financing up to 49% of eligible Canadian costs. It backs production and post-production work, including rough cuts, completion plans, and audience engagement planning.
Who is eligible for the Theatrical documentary program program?
To be eligible for the Theatrical documentary program program, you must:
The applicant must be a Canadian-controlled corporation.
The applicant must have its head office in Canada and carry out its activities in Canada.
The applicant must operate as an audiovisual production company.
What expenses are eligible under Theatrical documentary program?
Production stage feature-length documentary projects.
Postproduction stage feature-length documentary projects.
Who can I contact for more information about the Theatrical documentary program?
You can contact Telefilm Canada by email at coordination@telefilm.ca.
Where is the Theatrical documentary program available?
The Theatrical documentary program program is available the province of Quebec.
Is the Theatrical documentary program a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Theatrical documentary program is a Grant and Funding
Who are the financial supporters of the Theatrical documentary program?
Theatrical documentary program is funded by Telefilm Canada