Inside Out, Canada’s largest LGBTQ film festival and single largest promoter and exhibitor of LGBTQ content in Canada, and OUTtv, Canada’s national LGBTQ+ television network, are partnering on a new initiative to support queer Canadian documentary filmmakers with the creation of the OUTspoken Documentary Financing Fund.

The new fund will be accepting submissions beginning November 16th, with two projects to be selected to receive funding. Submissions will be open until January 8th.

In addition to direct funding, the winning projects will also receive mentoring and production support from OUTtv and Inside Out. OUTtv will broadcast the completed documentaries on OUTtv, and also on OUTtvGo, OUTtv’s subscription video on demand platform.

This fund is particularly interested in seeing submissions from creators who identify as BIPOC and as members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and will prioritize submissions that show a commitment to hiring BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ cast and crew.

Two selected projects will receive $18,000 each in production financing.

OUTtv will broadcast the completed documentaries on OUTtv branded platforms worldwide (e.g. OUTtv, OUTtvGo, Froot TV, branded channels on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.)

All submissions must be through the FilmFreeway submission platform and all materials should be uploaded as Files & Attachments to your submission. Late submissions will not be considered.

CRITERIA FOR QUALIFICATION
Inside Out and OUTtv shall jointly review the individual submissions and select up to two applications for potential production, with OUTtv retaining final decision-making on selected projects based on the following criteria:

Creative elements: originality of the subject matter/point of view; creativity, discoverability;
Diversity of the creative team;
Degree of relevance of the subject matter to the LGBTQ2 community;
Track record of the producer/director.

All films will automatically be submitted for consideration for the 2021 or 2022 Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, depending on completion timeline.

APPLICATION MATERIALS
All submissions MUST be uploaded as a combined PDF into their Project Profile with the following:

Logline
Estimated film duration (in minutes)
Estimated total budget (in CAD)
1 Page Treatment
Director and Crew Bios (500 words max)
Director's Statement (can be written or video, 200 words or 2:00 max)
Links to recent work (Vimeo, etc)
Pitch Deck or Visual treatment
Letters of Commitment / Support (not mandatory, encouraged)

RULES AND TERMS

Documentary projects may be at any stage of production, but at minimum must be fully developed and ready to prep for shooting. The completed film should be 45 – 54 minutes in length. However, OMG (OUTtv Media Global Inc.) is open to discussions about longer versions (up to a 90 minute TV slot) on a case-by-case basis. Films must be delivered by the end of 2021, unless otherwise agreed with OMG on a case-by-case basis.

Films must be certified as Canadian content, either by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (‘CAVCO”) or by the Canadian Radio-Television Communications Commission (the “CRTC”), and producers must provide OMG with the certification number when it becomes available.

OMG will provide a minimum guarantee of Eighteen Thousand Canadian Dollars (CAD$18,000.00) (the “MG”) in return for the worldwide distribution rights to the film for twenty-five (25) years. The MG will be paid over the course of the production period, with five percent (5%) being paid following delivery and technical acceptance of the film.

OMG will be entitled to exhibit the film on its owned and/or branded platforms worldwide (e.g. OUTtv, OUTtvGo, Froot TV, including branded channels on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video) with no further payment to the producer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, producers will be entitled to receive 25% of all net revenue that OMG receives from the distribution of a film on all third party platforms worldwide (e.g. Amazon Free with Prime Video, Amazon Prime TVOD, Apple TV (formerly iTunes), Tubi, Rakuten TV) after the deduction of any verifiable distribution expenses (e.g. platform transcoding costs), if any. Reporting and payment details will be included in the Distribution Agreement between the producer and OMG.

Producers will retain ownership and copyright in the film at all times.

Films will be branded as part of OMG’s OUTspoken documentary strand, along with the title of the film. OMG will be entitled to be credited in the main titles of all versions of the film in substantially the following form: “Produced in association with OUTtv”. OMG shall also be entitled to up to two Executive Producer credits for OMG executives, at OMG’s discretion.

If they wish, Producers will be able to access Federal and Provincial tax credits and to solicit funding from film funding programs and other sources. Producers will at all times be responsible for ensuring that they comply with all requirements of any tax credit schemes or funding agencies they choose to work with.

Producers must ensure that the films are produced in accordance with the standard clearance procedures required by underwriters of Producers’ Errors & Omissions Insurance policies (“E&O”), whether or not the film is covered by E&O.

OMG is invested in making all the programs it commissions a success, and will work closely with producers to ensure that their films get the exposure they deserve, including at film festivals around the world.