Ontario Supporting the Province’s Vibrant Film and TV Sector
Targeted programs and services will help promote made-in-Canada entertainment and creative content globally
The Voice of Canada News:
The Ontario government is investing nearly $1.3 million through Ontario Creates grants, providing 99 organizations with funding to help bring Canadian film, TV and digital content to audiences around the world.
The announcement was made by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, who was joined by Aaron Campbell, Board Chair of Ontario Creates, and Christina Jennings, Chairman and CEO of Shaftesbury, at 401 Richmond in Toronto. This arts-and-culture hub is home to imagine NATIVE and Reel Asian – Ontario Creates grant recipients who are using their support to access new global markets and showcase the work of Indigenous and East, South and Southeast Asian filmmakers and artists in Canada to new audiences.
Ontario Creates is an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries that provides industry support through several investment programs, including:
67 grant recipients were approved through the Film and TV Export Fund, supporting export development activities such as market event attendance and targeted sales trips that will encourage company growth and success.
20 recipients through the Industry Development Program, supporting activities that help businesses in the book, magazine, film, television, and interactive digital media sectors expand skills, business capacity, market share, sales, and innovation.
12 recipients through the Interactive Digital Media Fund’s Marketing Support and Global Market Development streams, helping to strengthen and stimulate economic growth in the interactive digital media sector by supporting opportunities for producers of interactive content to create new products, access existing and new markets and grow their business.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ontario’s heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries were among the first and hardest hit. They will take the longest to recover, but will play an important role in our economic and social recovery,” said Minister MacLeod. “The success of Canada’s own Schitt’s Creek at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards is proof of the importance and status of Ontario’s film and TV sector. These investments through Ontario Creates will help maintain Ontario’s competitive status as a leader in support for a world-class entertainment sector, and contribute to a spectacular double bottom line – the financial bottom line of the province, as well as the equally important bottom line of our cultural fabric and identity.”
Please visit Ontario Creates for more information on funding eligibility requirements and application deadlines.
QUICK FACTS
- Ontario Creates is an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries that serves as a catalyst for economic development, investment and collaboration in the province’s creative industries, including the music, book, magazine, film, television and interactive digital media sectors, both domestically and internationally.
- Ontario’s culture sector contributes over $25 billion to the provincial economy and supports almost 270,000 jobs.
- Ontario Creates awarded $29.2 million in grant funding to 655 projects last year.
