The Canada-France Series Lab is a joint venture by Series Mania Forum, Telefilm Canada, and the CNC, in partnership with the French Embassy in Canada, the Embassy of Canada in France and the Canada Media Fund. Its main goal is to encourage and facilitate co-productions of audiovisual fiction series between Canadian and French producers. The Canada-France Series Lab offers them new meeting opportunities and fosters the development of projects with strong international potential in a competitive environment.
Up to five (5) pairs of French and Canadian co-producers who together develop an audiovisual fiction series will be selected by a jury of experts with the aim of being supported in the structuring of their project and its presentation to the international market. They will be invited to participate in a series of professional workshops, in person in Toronto or Montreal (Canada) from September 29 to October 2, 2024 and then virtually between October 2024 and March 2025. They will finally have the opportunity to participate at Series Mania Forum from March 25 to 27, 2025 in Lille (France) and present their projects to potential international partners during a pitching session.
This call for applications pertains to the Canada-France Series Lab which will be held as described above. It is not mandatory to have participated in the preliminary phase of the program, which took place at Series Mania Forum 2024, to apply to the present call.
The projects must be submitted in accordance with the rules below, and within the specified dates.
Project registration implies full acceptance of the current rules and regulations and, if the project is selected, of a commitment to the participation of at least one representative of the Canadian company and at least one representative of the French company supporting the project until the end of the program in March 2025. The said participation includes an in-person presence in Toronto or Montreal (Canada) from September 29 to October 2, 2024, and at Series Mania Forum from March 25 to 27, 2025 in Lille (France).
ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS
Any project submitted to the Canada-France Series Lab must be entered jointly by an eligible Canadian production company and an eligible French production company and must meet all the criteria listed below.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- For the French production company only:
- be a production company established on French territory within the meaning of Article 311-3 of the Règlement général des aides financières du CNC (General Rules on Aid).
- For the Canadian production company only:
- be a Canadian-owned corporation, in compliance with sections 26 to 28 of the Investment Canada
- be represented at the initiative by a producer who is a Canadian citizen within the meaning of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident of Canada within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
- For both Canadian and French production companies:
- make themselves available to take part in the workshop which will be held in-person from September 29 to October 2, 2024 in Toronto or Montreal (Canada). The Canada-France Series Lab will not cover travel costs. Canadian producers can contact their provincial or professional organizations for travel funding. French producers will be eligible for a travel grant offered by the French Embassy in Canada.
- make themselves available to take part in all of the planned virtual activities of the initiative from October 2024 to March 2025 inclusive.
- make themselves available to take part in Series Mania Forum, which will be held from March 25 to 27, 2025, in Lille, France. The Canada-France Series Lab will pay for up to two accreditations per project but will not cover travel costs. Canadian and French producers can contact their provincial or professional organizations for funding.
Applications from individuals, such as authors/writers, will not be accepted.
To be eligible, a project must:
- Be governed by a co-development agreement between the submitting Canadian and French production As a minimum requirement, a deal memo must be included in the project submission. No template will be provided
- Meet the following artistic criteria:
- Category: audiovisual series (original creations, adaptations). Adaptations of existing series are not Projects for subsequent seasons of existing series are not eligible.
- Length: minimum 26 minutes per episode, minimum 3
- Genre: live action fiction Documentary or animation series are not eligible.
- Language: series shot in French, English, bilingual or multilingual (if they include a majority of English or French).
- Meet the following financial criteria:
- Creative and financial control of the project must be held by both co-production companies, as well as all copyrights and options necessary for its development and
Projects submitted and not selected to the 2023-2024 Canada-France Series Lab cannot be submitted again.
PROJECT SUBMISSION
Submission of projects is free.
To be considered eligible, candidates must have registered by filling out the registration form available on our website: http://www.seriesmania.com. No submission by email, mail, or any other means will be accepted.
The following documents are required for any submissions, and must be supplied before the closing date:
- A deal memo or co-development agreement signed by both production companies involved in the
- An artistic pre-bible of between 10 and 15 pages (maximum) including:
- A presentation of the concept of the series: the different characteristics of the project (arena, subject, genre, artistic direction, ).
- A presentation of the main
- Elements of synopsis,
- If the project is based on a pre-existing work, please provide the information necessary to assess the new work
- Optional: if available, a dialogue script.
- A note of intent from the author(s).
- A development budget.
- A development financing plan.
- A note of intent from both co-producers specifying:
- The creative and financial role of each of the co-producers in the development, and, if applicable, in the production (artistic/financial contribution, potential distribution of key positions, shooting locations already identified, ).
- The framework of the co-producers’ meeting and their motivations to work together on the project
- The work already completed in the writing/pre-development phases and the objectives of the co-developmentA schedule of the project’s next steps (development, production, distribution) including details on the work intended until March
- A status report on the search for financial partners and the distribution prospects
- If applicable, letter(s) from Canadian or French organizations (CNC, CMF, provinces, regions, private funding, etc.) attesting that the project has received writing and/or development
- Option and rights assignment contracts signed between authors or writers and
- If the work is an adaptation, an option from the audiovisual rights holder authorizing the adaptation
- The CVs of the creative team (authors and producers).
Only applications written in English will be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The deadline for entries is Friday, June 14, 2024 at 11:59 pm (CET).
The selected applicants will be notified by email during the week of July 10, 2024.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND MARKETING
Documents supplied with project submissions are strictly confidential and are not for publication.
The representatives of selected projects must supply information for marketing purposes of Series Mania Forum and the partners of the Canada-France Series Lab (i.e.: website, social media, catalogues) or to be published in the press.
I have read and I accept the rules of the Canada-France Series Lab.
I also understand that submitting my project does not guarantee its selection, and that if I do not respect the present rules, my project may be rejected.