CMF invests over $23M in 53 interactive digital media projects
Toronto, January 12, 2023 – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) will invest $23.6 million in the prototyping and production of 53 Canadian interactive digital media projects. These projects will receive funding through four different programs under the CMF’s Experimental Stream: Digital Linear Series, Commercial Projects (2nd round), Innovation & Experimentation (2nd round), and Prototyping (2nd round).
Digital Linear Series Program
The CMF’s Digital Linear Series Program is designed to support digital linear series, created initially for online platforms and in designated CMF genres, from their second season onward.
This year, 18 projects will receive a total of $4 million, including beloved titles like The Missus Downstairs, Farm Crime, ZARQA, and Convos with Anything.
Funding decisions were made by a jury made up of Claudia Rodriguez Valencia, Evangeline Kabuya, Judith Davis, Louiselle Roy, Mara Gourd Mercado, and Emilia King.
Commercial Projects Program – 2nd round
Projects receiving funding through the Commercial Projects Program are Canadian interactive digital media content and application software that have a greater probability of commercial success based on their potential to attain stated commercial objectives, demonstrate business opportunity, and achieve profitability.
Through this round of funding, seven projects will receive a total of $7.8 million in funding. Sequels to gaming hits Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan and Echo Generation are among the projects receiving funding.
Projects submitted this round were evaluated by a jury of specialists: Rachel Noonan, Nicholas Fortugno, Robert Rames, Jennifer Lufau, Carl-Frédéric de Celles, and François Dominic Laramée.
Innovation & Experimentation Program – 2nd round
Our Innovation & Experimentation Program provides funding to innovative and leading-edge projects.
This round is awarding $7.2 million in CMF funding to seven projects. City-building game Roots of Yggdrasil, by ManaVoid Entertainment (Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan), and alternate-history strategy game Revolution, by new studio Imugi, are among the funded projects.
The evaluating jury for this round was composed of Nadia Seraiocco, Karen Poulin, Laurent Guérin, Tina Merry, Mia Consalvo, and Rochelle Grayson.
Prototyping Program – 2nd round
The CMF’s Prototyping program allocates funding at the early stages of building a product to facilitate experimenting, testing, and validating different concepts and hypotheses to arrive at a first functional prototype.
Through this round of funding, 21 projects will receive a total of $4.7 million in funding, including 16 games, four software projects, and one video-content endeavour.
About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content for all audiovisual platforms. In addition, it guides Canadian content towards a competitive global digital environment by supporting industry innovation, rewarding success, promoting diversity of voices, and encouraging access to content through public- and private-sector partnerships. The CMF receives funding from the Government of Canada and from cable, satellite, and IP service distributors across the country. Visit the CMF's website for more information.
Media contact:
Maxime Ruel
Senior Manager, Communications
[email protected]
1-416-677-0050
