Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund CIFVF

The Canadian Independent Film & Video Fund (CIFVF) is a dynamic private sector funding body which supports non-theatrical film, videos and new media projects created by Canadian independent producers to enable lifelong learning.

There are other government-funded organizations that assist the film and television industry, but none that plays exactly the same role as the Fund. The CIFVF is unique in focusing on the non-theatrical market. A broadcast licence is not required in order to apply to the CIFVF for funding: this is an extremely important factor for first time producers. The CIFVF assists projects that have been unable to attain the required level of broadcast licence fees to be eligible for Canadian Television Fund (CTF) or Telefilm funding.

The CIFVF provides financial assistance to independent producers for the development and production of English and French language films or videos and interactive digital new media programs in a variety of subject areas using the formats of documentary, docu-drama, drama and animation to inform, educate and/or instruct.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Since 1991, the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund has reviewed over 3,600 applications and provided $17.9 million to 900 independent Canadian productions, many of which have won awards in Canada and overseas.

Applications for funding are accepted at normally two specified deadlines only each year. However, for 2008, there will only be one deadline date.

The CIFVF also prepares briefs to government and to regulatory agencies such as the CRTC on behalf of the producers who work in the educational/informational program production sector.

BACKGROUND

In 1988, the Department of Communications (now called Canadian Heritage) established a $10 million program to assist the non-theatrical sector of the film and television industry, called the Canadian Non-Theatrical Film and Video Fund. In 1991, the government cancelled the program due to budget cuts, but a strong lobby from the industry persuaded the government to find funds to re-establish the program. As part of its privatization thrust, the decision was made by the government to set up a new, private sector fund that would eventually become self-financing.

The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund was incorporated in August, 1991 as a national, non-profit organization.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

The Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund is managed by Executive Director Robin Jackson. The Executive Director is responsible to a Board of Directors made up of representatives of the industry. The Board of Directors meets once a year and its Executive Committee more regularly to consider and make decisions on matters of administration, policy and criteria governing the CIFVF’s financial contributions to productions, and financial management and audit.

The CIFVF strives to have the best board members available to provide knowledgeable policy and operational advice and corporate governance. Its Board members are therefore active members of the Canadian industry and, as such, are also eligible to apply to the Fund.

To ensure that there is no potential conflict of interest, no CIFVF Board member sits on the jury that makes all decisions on the selection of projects for funding. The independent jury’s decisions are final and are not ratified by the CIFVF Board of Directors.

Applications are assessed by a jury of peers, composed of one producer, one distributor and one end-user. There are three juries for Film and Video projects: one for French language projects and two for English language projects.

The CIFVF selects members for each jury from suggestions proposed by industry associations and relevant communities across the country. New juries are selected for each Deadline, and are chosen with due care and attention to ensure that none of the individual members are involved in any application submitted for evaluation at that Deadline. Names of jury members are kept confidential and are released by the CIFVF only at the end of the financial year in its Annual Report.

The CIFVF Board of Directors has established two general principles governing the commitment of funding, and also sets the eligibility and selection criteria against which applications are evaluated. These criteria are subject to periodic review.

LINGUISTIC PRINCIPLES

No less than one-third of the funding available for projects is designated to assist original French-language productions; and approximately two-thirds of the funding is designated to assist original English-language productions.

Geographic Principles

The CIFVF acknowledges that educational/informational production activity is carried out in all parts of Canada and every attempt is made to encourage and support productions originating from all regions of the country. To that end, the CIFVF endeavours to ensure that one-fifth of the monies available at each Deadline is allocated to projects originating from each of the following five regions: Atlantic and Northern Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia.