Overview · NOHFC

The Film and Television Stream is designed to increase film and television industry jobs and investment and to increase quality, original film and television productions produced in Northern Ontario, while showcasing its culture, geography, stories and talent.

Who is Eligible?

The Film and Television Stream is open to production companies who are passionate about growing and supporting the industry in Northern Ontario.

The production company must be a Canadian corporation which is Canadian controlled
The production company must own all, or a majority of the rights necessary to exploit and produce the production.
Applicants must receive a producer credit on the project.

There are four application intake rounds:

Round 1: Application intake period: February 1 - April 30

Round 2: Application intake period: May1 - July 31

Round 3: Application intake period: August 1 - October 31

Round 4: Application intake period: November 1 - January 31

What Projects are Eligible?

Types of eligible projects include:

Theatrical feature films
Scripted television series
Made-for-television movies
Documentaries

Evaluation Criteria

The NOHFC Film and Television Stream is designed to encourage quality media productions that will raise the profile of Northern Ontario. Priority will be given to productions featuring Northern Ontario culture and stories, Northern Ontario talent, and which are set in Northern Ontario.

Funding decisions are based on the project’s Northern Ontario Benefits and Production Strength.

The Northern Benefits assessment is important to determine the economic aspects of the project that will directly impact the Northern Ontario Industry, such as:

Projected expenditures in Northern Ontario, including employment potential;
Length of shoot;
Post-production sourced from northern Ontario;
Training with northern post-secondary institutions;
Key creative positions from northern Ontario;
Previous history of working in northern Ontario;
Cultural significance of the project to Northern Ontario;
The story showcasing northern Ontario; and
Other significant benefits as presented.

The Production Strength assessment is important to determine the applicant’s level of sophistication and ability to produce and deliver the project including:

The feasibility of the project with respect to budget, financing, scope, experience of key project leads, and distribution plan.
The marquee value of the budgeted cast and level of creative content
The credibility of the marketing plan and the distributor’s capacity and commitment to the project and track record of success

Productions must meet appropriate quality-acceptance standards for broadcast and distribution. Documentaries must strive for journalistic integrity.

The NOHFC Board of Directors reserves the right to apply its final judgement in these regards. Funding for each project is determined by the NOHFC Board of Directors, and limited funding is available. Not all projects meeting the criteria will necessarily receive funding.

Funding

NOHFC funding is based on the project’s total level of spending in Northern Ontario. NOHFC provides assistance in the form of a conditional contribution up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum capped on a tiered basis according to the total northern spend:

Total Production Budget	Potential Level of Support
Up to $5 million	Up to $500,000
$5 million - $10 million	Up to $1,000,000
$10 million and above	Up to $2,000,000

Project costs that are eligible for NOHFC funding include all costs of production that are spent in Northern Ontario, including labour costs, production goods and services, and post-production costs.

What is Not Eligible?

Types of ineligible projects include, but are not limited to:

Unscripted media content, such as reality TV, live sports, news or improvisational comedy
Advertisements, partisan content, fundraising videos, or industry videos not meant for broader consumption
Productions containing excessive violence or sexually explicit content, that encourage hatred, intolerance, violence or criminal activity.

The following costs are ineligible for NOHFC support:

Costs spent outside of Northern Ontario
Brokerage of goods and services from outside of Northern Ontario by intermediaries
Operational expenses for a media company

Program Requirements

The NOHFC holds four application intake rounds during the year for the Film and Television Stream.

Applicants must provide evidence of the availability of all other project financing with terms and conditions satisfactory to the NOHFC, at the time of application.

The project must have secured a written commitment letter from a qualified and experienced distributor or broadcaster, satisfactory to the NOHFC, at the time of application.

Applications will be reviewed by NOHFC staff for completeness and eligibility.

FAQ

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Q. Are equipment rentals from outside Northern Ontario eligible?

Q. How much funding should be in place when my company submits an application to NOHFC?

Q. Why is a distribution agreement required?

Q. What supporting documents must be submitted with my film & television application?

A. The following documents must be submitted with your application.

Script or Screenplay
Project synopsis
Production schedule
Signed and dated production budget
Projected Northern Ontario expenditures, in the same format as the production budget
Copies of applications or commitment letters from all other sources of production financing.
Written commitment letter(s) from a distributor or broadcaster
Detailed marketing and distribution plan
National and international revenue projections
Detailed cast and crew list
Evidence of a complete and clear chain of title, including a complete description of the production's development history and all 3rd party agreements

Q. Does NOHFC have a plan to increase Northern Ontario vendors for the film and television industry?

A. Yes. NOHFC is actively encouraging vendors to establish businesses in Northern Ontario to serve the industry. Formally approved eligible vendors are placed on the Northern Ontario Vendors List. There may be other vendors not on the Northern Ontario Vendor list that are eligible vendors for reimbursement but they would be reviewed by NOHFC on a case by case basis.

Q. Does the NOHFC Film & Television Stream allow labour costs of crew from outside Northern Ontario as an eligible cost for support?

A. Generally, only the labour costs of individuals whose primary residence is in Northern Ontario are eligible. However, where an individual whose primary residence is outside Northern Ontario acts as a mentor to a Northern Ontario trainee, the mentor’s costs are eligible – this is called “Deemed Labour”. Deemed Labour is only eligible if the trainee is being trained at a crew position where NOHFC agrees there is a skill shortage in the Northern Ontario labour market that prevents a Northern Ontario crew member being hired. The amount of eligible Deemed Labour costs cannot exceed 25% of eligible Northern Ontario labour costs (excluding the costs of the Deemed Labour positions).