Telefilm Canada Unveils Comedy Lab

MONTREAL: Telefilm Canada is partnering with the CFC (Canadian Film Centre) and Just For Laughs for an initiative that aims to develop five original feature-film comedies.

The Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab will commence in November, with submissions due September 18. The professional development program pairs accomplished Canadian feature film producers, their writer and/or director teams and their theatrical comedy scripts with leading comedic talent. These teams will work on their scripts to further develop and package five viable English-language theatrical feature comedies by 2010. This three-month program will include workshops, master classes and one-on-one sessions with leading industry professionals. The films are slated to begin production by 2011-2012. The initiative is funded through the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canada Feature Film Fund with a budget of just over C$1 million.

“While Canada has made some great comedies, such as Strange Brew, Porky’s and Bon Cop Bad Cop, for a country that is recognized globally for its sense of humor, we have not fully exploited our potential to make funny and commercially successful feature films,” said Sheila de La Varende, the director of national and international business development for Telefilm Canada. “This is a gap in how we tell our stories to each other and the world and the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab was created to fill this gap.”