Canadian Film Fest & Firecracker Department Present
THE CANADIAN COMEDY FILM IGNITER
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Calling all female and non-binary Canadian filmmakers! Do you need a passionate push to get your comedy stories on screen? Canadian Film Fest and Firecracker Department are partnering to present THE CANADIAN COMEDY FILM IGNITER.
WHAT: A comedy film challenge starting with a prompt and ending with a produced film. Over one-month, female and non-binary Canadian filmmakers will be challenged to conceive, develop, and produce a comedy short film, with the support of the Canadian Film Fest and Firecracker Department. Throughout the four-week program, filmmakers will engage in a series of development, networking, and mentoring activities, shaping their vision, and refining their comedy chops and storytelling skills.
You can expect:
Four-week timeline to write, shoot, and deliver your film - it’s accountability at its finest!
Team building opportunities
Mentorship sessions with notable industry professionals including Naomi Snieckus (Mr. D, Disney’s Zombies), Carolyn Taylor (I Have Nothing, Baroness Von Sketch), Vanessa Matsui (How to Fail as a Pop Star, Ghost BFF), Allana Harkin (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Nesting), and Wendy Litner (Popularity Papers, How to Buy a Baby).
Official selections screening at an exclusive event during the 2024 Canadian Film Fest
Live juried feedback from industry professionals
A free festival pass good for all screenings and industry series events
Festival laurels and in-kind prizes for the top films
Screening during the monthly Firecracker Dept Comedy Brunch plus VIP invitation to the yearly Firecracker Dept Brunch during TIFF.
WHERE: Open nationwide to Canadian female & non-binary filmmakers 18+. Presentations will take place at the Canadian Film Fest in Toronto from March 18 - 23, 2024. Screening dates are to be announced.
WHY: We want to encourage women and non-binary comedians and filmmakers to have their voices heard and stories seen.
COST: There is a $100 fee to sign up, this admission will also provide you with a CFF Festival Pass (a $180.00 value).
2024 PARTICIPANT KEY DATES:
Friday, January 12, 12:00 pm ET
Filmmakers Meet and Greet - Do you need to find key people to build your team? Just want to hang out? You are invited. Virtual event.
Friday, January 19, 11:59 pm ET
Registration Deadline
Friday, January 26
Participants Announced -Mandatory creative prompt is distributed to teams
Monday, January 29, 6:00 pm ET
Workshop: Script Basics and Production Prep. Virtual event.
Friday, February 9 , 12:00 pm ET
Mentor Speed Dating with Industry Professionals - We are halfway through! Do you have questions? Need some great advice? Come and meet some pros to find your answers. Virtual event.
Monday, February 26, 11:59 pm ET
Final Deadline for films
Monday, March 4
Official Festival selections for screenings announced
March 18 - 23, 2024, Canadian Film Fest - The Canadian Film Fest & Firecracker Department Present: The Canadian Comedy Film Igniter Screening - In-person during the festival. Date and time TBA
ELIGIBILITY & REGULATIONS:
Key Applicants must self-identify as female or non-binary
Key Applicants must be the writer, director, and/or producer of the project (1 - 3 individuals max)
Key Applicants must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status
Applicants must identify as emerging in the role they are applying for on this project. In this context, an emerging filmmaker is defined as someone who has not been credited in more than six produced short films or been in an ‘above-the-line’ position on a produced feature-length film.
The final film must be a maximum of 6 minutes in length, including end credits.
All scripts must be written originally for this challenge. The films must include elements of specific prompts that will be presented to applicants on January 26, 2024.
All creativity and principal photography (writing/shot listing/designing/shooting/editing/post-production/delivery) must take place during the official filming time period, January 26 – February 26, 2024.
The majority of your film must contain footage shot or created within these dates.The project must fit the comedy genre but is not limited to a genre hybrid so long as the work is intended to be humorous by eliciting laughter from the audience
The jury focus of the films will be on writing and vision execution over production quality. Teams are encouraged to be creative with the resources available to them. Any video or film camera may be used.
Teams are responsible for their own budget and insurance requirements. Canadian Film Fest and Firecracker Dept cannot cover travel fees or costs incurred.
The project can be in any language, however, legible English subtitles must be provided for dialogue other than English
Applicants must have the rights to any music and clearance for art used in the film
Final films must be uploaded on FilmFreeway in the required format
CFF/Firecracker Dept reserves the right to disqualify entries deemed to be inappropriate or otherwise non-compliant. Top films selected for screening will be determined at the jury’s discretion based on the number of submissions.
Industry/Mentor participation is subject to change
SUBMISSION INFO:
Create a new film project in FilmFreeway
Label the project, THE CANADIAN COMEDY FILM IGNITER. Upon delivery, applicants are encouraged to change the title and update the synopsis/film info.
Tell us your Key Applicants (Writer/director/producer). That’s it!
Submit your COMEDY FILM IGNITER project to CanFilmFest under categories and fees
A CFF representative will determine your eligibility and be in contact in January 2024 regarding next steps