Telefilm Canada has selected 13 English-language features to support via the big-budget stream of its Production Program.

The features, which include nine coproductions, will share a total investment of $26.4 million. The selected projects include six dramas, four comedies, two thrillers and a sci-fi title. Projects in the big-budget stream have a budget of $3.5 million or higher, according to Telefilm guidelines.

Elevation Pictures is attached as the distributor on all six drama projects. They include director Kim Nguyen’s mostly Arabic-language feature Dear World (Item 7), co-written by Nguyen and Lara Alameddine; director Nyla Innuksuk’s In the Heart of the South (Sphere Media, Mixtape VR), co-written by Innuksuk and Ryan Cavan; and writer-director Mathieu Denis’ English- and Spanish-language title The Falling Man (Rhombus Media).

Rounding out the list of dramas are writer-director Mauro Mueller’s Canada-Switzerland copro 111 (Auguste Content), which is in English, German and French; writer-director Jaap van Heusden and Vincent Karetak’s Canada-Netherlands English and Inuktitut copro In Alaska (Experimental Forest Films, Uuktumiaq Studios); and the Canada-South Africa family drama Dreams of the Moon (Big Nickel Films), directed by Alfons Adetuyi and written by Dennis Foon.

Elevation is also distributing the Canada-Ireland comedy Heather of the Valley (First Generation Media), directed by Sheri Elwood and written by Kate Spurgeon.

Photon Films is attached as the distributor on two comedy titles: writer-director Eva Michon’s Canada-Belgium-Poland copro Mizeria (Film Forge Productions), which in English and Polish; and writer-director Nathalie Boltt’s Canada-New Zealand English and Maori copro Holy Days (Lily Pictures), produced by Michelle Morris and Sushant Desai.

Rounding out the comedies is Canada-Ireland film, The Stunt Driver (Film Cardinal), written and directed by Michael Dowse, with Mongrel Media distributing.

The two thrillers are The Keeper (Screen Siren Pictures), directed by Helen Shaver and written by Graeme Manson; and director Colm McCarthy’s Canada-U.K. copro Together (Omni Film Drama Development), co-written by Mike Carey and Camille Gatin. The sole sci-fi project in this round is director Wi Ding Ho’s Canada-Belgium-France copro House of Stairs (Band With Pictures), written by Matthew McInerney-Lacombe.

All three titles are distributed by Elevation.

A total of 57 films were assessed in the big-budget stream in this round, with Telefilm meeting each project’s team before a shortlist was created, according to a news release. An advisory committee of external and internal representatives assessed the features and made recommendations to Telefilm.

Telefilm will announce more funding decisions, including projects from the lower budget streams in the English market, in the coming weeks. Funding for French-language features were announced in April.

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