Canadian public broadcaster CBC has launched two new funds to support documentary production.
The total investment is approximately C$7 million (around US$5 million).
The Co-Production Fund will support experienced documentary filmmakers looking to pursue more ambitious and strategic international partnerships. Projects backed through this fund will be produced for CBC’s long-running documentary strand The Passionate Eye.
The Creator Catalyst Fund is aimed at emerging and early-career documentary creators across Canada, with the goal of helping them develop their careers and create more opportunities to work with CBC.
In addition, the broadcaster will provide extra funding to its local production support program, allowing more projects to be included in the Absolutely Canadian strand. These initiatives form part of CBC’s broader plan to increase investment in documentary content.
At the same time, the broadcaster is closing its linear Documentary Channel and replacing it with a free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel dedicated to documentary programming, which is scheduled to launch on September 1.
The announcements were made during the Banff World Media Festival and presented as part of the broadcaster’s updated content strategy.
