News
July 20, 2020
July 20 FilmOntario Update
Nicholas GrayAll of us at FilmOntario were saddened to hear of the passing of Nick Gray on Tuesday, July 14.
Nick was a mentor and inspiration to many in the industry. As one of the original FilmOntario Board members, he played a huge role in shaping the organization and we are tremendously grateful to him for his enormous contribution to our success. He also served as Treasurer for many years, laying the groundwork for the sound fiscal position we rely on today. His words of wisdom and encouragement, and enthusiasm for and dedication to the industry, will be missed by all of us.
A memorial will be planned for Nick at a future date. The family has asked that donations be made in Nick's memory to The AFC or to Diabetes Canada.
Netflix Virtual Pitch Day
Netflix has announced they will be holding a virtual pitch day for Canadian content creators. They are accepting pitch proposals from now until Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 8:00 pm EDT.
Pitch sessions will take place in early September through a series of virtual meetings. They are looking for a wide variety of pitches in non-fiction, film, animation, and series. The guidelines contain more details on the types of projects and audiences that will meet their needs.
Good luck to all FilmOntario members with their pitches!
Canada Media Fund opens COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds – CMF Third-Language Allocation
The CMF has announced that applications for the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Funds allocated to independent television producers with productions in a language other than English or French will be accepted starting July 22, 2020. Click here to apply.
Funding will be distributed on a first-come/first-served basis until the September 18, 2020 deadline, to a maximum of $50,000 per applicant. Click here to access the full eligibility criteria.
Only producers who have not previously received a funding commitment from the CMF (through either the CMF's Convergent Stream, Experimental Stream or Sector Development Program) and have not applied for Emergency Relief Funds from either Telefilm Canada or the Canada Council for the Arts are eligible to apply for this funding.
CRA Tip – My Business Account
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) would like to remind everyone about their secure online portal for business owners and their representatives called My Business Account, and how its features can simplify your interactions with the CRA regarding your film and media tax credits (FMTC) claims.
For example, if your FMTC claims are selected for audit, the auditor may require additional documents such as scanned copies of invoices, receipts and other supporting documents. Once the auditor provides you an audit case number, you will be able to submit the requested documents through the My Business Account portal. The efficiencies gained from this process should help CRA complete the audit and issue your refund sooner.
Click here for more service highlights and information on how to register for My Business Account.
Congratulations to From the Vine - #1 Canadian Film on iTunes/Apple TV
Congratulations to Sean Cisterna's award-winning film, the #1 Canadian Film on iTunes/Apple TV. The film is now available on demand at AppleTV/iTunes, Cineplex, Google, Microsoft, Bell, Telus, Eastlink and Cogeco. From the Vine is an Ontario/Manitoba/Italy coproduction. U.S. and International release dates will be available soon.
Watch the trailer here or just go straight to the VOD link.
News to Share?
If there are any updates or announcements you would like to share with your fellow FilmOntario members, please don't hesitate to let me know at clynch@filmontario.ca and I will include them in the next member update.